COSTA MESA -- Vanguard men's soccer fans may need to embrace some relaxation techniques for the year if the first two Pacific West Conference games of the season are the trendsetters. After the late winner against Westmont, Vanguard again had a wild game on Monday at home against Hawaii Hilo. The Lions scored first and last, with two UHH goals in between, leading to a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation. The Lions went to 2-5-2 overall, 1-0-1 in PacWest games, while Hilo went to 4-3-1, 1-0-1.
"We worked hard and created a ton of chances," said Head Coach
Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes. "We need to clean up a few areas on the defensive side, but once we do, this team will be very dangerous. We have to continue to get better every day, and it looks like we are going in the right direction."
What Happened? The Vulcans of UHH played smartly to open the game, countering Vanguard's patented fast start. Even though Vanguard had the first corner kick, time of possessino and the direction of play favored the Vulcans. But that changed in the 19th minute, as one counter was all it took for Vanguard to break through.
Zander Zill intercepted an attempted breakout pass and made a couple of dribbles before he bounced a ball forward for
Robert Ronco. Taking the pass in stride, Ronco drove to the top of the six-yard box and snaked the ball to the side netting to vault the Lions ahead 1-0.
The Blue and Gold started to weave forward with purpose again after the restart, with shots from Ronco,
Xavier Alcantar, and
Luke Parker, but the UHH keeper made the two saves that he needed to. The first warning that the Vulcans were finding a rhythm was a header that thumped off the crossbar in the 38th minute, and the visitors owned the final five minutes of the period. After a couple of promising drives into the attacking end, a penalty called near the center circle allowed UHH to belt in a cross in the 45th minute, and a Vulcan headed it down towards the VU goal. It somehow evaded getting kicked by anyone else and trickled over the line with one second left on the clock to make it 1-1 at the half.
The Lions had an 11-5 edge in shots in the first half and all three corner kicks of the frame.
Zill had the first shot in the new half from distance, and Parker made another attempt a short time later, but neither troubled the Hilo defense. After that, the squads hit a neutral stretch offensively, but the spell was broken after the hour mark by the Vulcans. A shot in the 67th minute led to a corner kick, and the service resulted in a shot hitting the crossbar for the second time on the day. Unfortunately, the rebound bounced to a UHH player this time, and he calmly stroked home the second Hilo goal of the game.
But much like the Westmont game, the Lions were not deflated by the visitors scoring but were roused to respond. Six minutes later, Ronco took a quick throw in the attacking end and got it to
Sidney Dina near the side line. He wormed his way to the end line and zipped a perfect ball to
Tyler Williams, who restored equilibrium in the 74th minute. Not satisfied with the draw, the Lions piled forward in search of the winning goal, with Zill and Williams each putting shots up. Dina created a huge moment in the 82nd minute, as a defensive breakdown by Hilo allowed him to get into the box, where he was fouled. A penalty kick was awarded, but the PK attempt came after a lengthy review, and his shot attempt missed the net.
The Lions had three corner kicks in the final three minutes, including two in the 90th minute, but
Shaun Im could not get a shot away with the ball at his feet as the horn sounded to end the match.
The Lions had a 17-8 edge in shots in the game, a 5-3 lead in shots on goal, and a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks. Im had a match-high three shots, with Ronco, Parker, Dina, Zill, and Williams next with two.
Caleb Johnson made one save in goal.
What's Next? The Lions play the Chaminade on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
