LIONS BESTED IN TRI-MATCH AT CAL STATE UNIVERSITY-NORTHRIDGE

Recap, photo courtesy of Vanguard University

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The Vanguard Lions (1-13) kicked off their busy weekend a little early as they headed up to CSUN for a tri-match featuring the Lions, Matadors, and Eagles. First, the Blue and Gold took on Cal State University – Northridge (12-5) before rounding out the day with their second outing of the season against Concordia University – Irvine (4-8).

CSUN 5, Vanguard 0

On court one, Katie Sato and Aeryn Owens defeated Kayla Tinker (JR/San Clemente, CA) and Gabby Morrison (FR/Paso Robles, CA) 21-19 and 21-10. The second duo of Kelli Dowell (JR/Redlands, CA) and Hannah Holder (SO/Irvine, CA) faced off against Kristey Markle and Nickeisha Williams, falling by 21-9 and 21-8 scores. After Dani Erdelatz (SO/Stockton, CA) and Charity Dennis (JR/Cypress, CA) won the first set 21-17, Lauren McMurray and Autum Russell powered back with a 21-19 and 15-6 set wins to take the pairing. Court four featured Nicolette Pinkney and Lauren Conati taking on Eliana Johnson (FR/Scottsdale, AZ) and Karly Cantu (SO/Spokane, WA). The Matadors were victorious 21-18 and 21-8. In the fifth pairing, Bree Belton (FR/Riverside, CA) and Karli Burk (FR/Yucaipa, CA) were bested 21-11 and 21-9 by Erin Indermill and Daniella Molinari. The exhibition matchup saw Shawnee De Oliveira and Cassidy Rosso defeat Mackenzie Mitchell (FR/Costa Mesa, CA) and Angel Carroll (FR/Roy, WA) 21-13, 21-8.

Concordia 5, Vanguard 0

After initially dropping the first set 21-16, Tinker and Holder battled back for a decisive 21-14 victory before falling in a narrow 15-12 loss in set three. Court two saw Dowell and Holder take on Avery Keathley and Riley Gill to a 21-17 and 21-13 defeat. Erdelatz and Dennis had a close loss (21-19) in the first set, won the second 21-17, and were bested 15-8 in the third set by Marcela Frazzoni and Jaclyn Brown. The fourth duo of Johnson and Cantu faced Jess Diedrich and Asia O'Neil losing by 21-18 and 21-11 scores. The final pairing of the day saw Julia DenBoer and Kekela Hendrickson win sets two and three after the Lions won the opener 21-19.

Lions Come Up Short Against HIU

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Vanguard University put another Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader in the books, but fell short of No. 15 Hope International University in both contests. The Royals jumped onto an early lead in the day's opener and fended off the Lions efforts for the remainder of the game. In the nightcap, a pitcher's duel kept the game quiet for three innings until HIU broke through the barrier. With the loss, Vanguard drops to 35-6 overall and 5-4 in GSAC, while HIU improves to 32-4 and 6-2 in conference.

Game 1: Hope International 6, Vanguard 2

The Royals got the best of the Pride in game one and posted 11 hits on the game while Vanguard posted four. Cassie Balswick (SO/Turlock, CA) logged a 3-for-4 game at the plate while Kaitlin Estes (SR/Costa Mesa, CA) went 2-for-3. Johanna Lewis (FR/Madera, CA) and Payton Ross (SR/Hughson, CA) each chipped in one hit a piece. Vanessa Dwyer (SO/Temple City, CA) started out in the circle and pitched 1.2 innings before Kolbi Tonini (JR/Reno, NV) relieved her. Tonini threw two strikeouts and walked two batters on 25 batters faced.

The Royals got a jump on the lead and scored all six of their runs by the third inning. Vanguard got a word in in the fourth frame on a double hit up the middle by Lewis. Ross singled and Estes doubled to left center to put bodies on base, and Lewis brought the pair home to score.

Game 2: Hope International 2, Vanguard 1

Courtney Thornhill (SO/Hughson,CA) carried the Pride through seven innings in the circle and threw two strikeouts, gave up seven hits and one earned run on 28 batters faced. Vanguard logged four hits on the game and fell seven hits shy of the Royals. Estes, Shaffer, Ross and Balswick put one hit a piece in the books for the Lions, while Belle Herrera (FR/Riverside, CA) picked up the lone RBI with Ross' run in the fourth inning.

A combined six batters from either team made an appearance at the plate in the first full inning, and Hope International sparked an offense in the top of the second. Two Royals reached base but were left stranded at the hands of the Lions. Vanguard struggled to make something happen in the bottom of the frame, and HIU broke through in the top of the third with their first run of the game. The Royals struck once more in the top of the fourth inning. The 2-1 deficit got the gears going in the Vanguard offense started as Ross singled to short to lead off. Shaffer singled to left field, advancing Ross, and both Herrera and Ross capitalized on an error committed by the HIU second basemen to score. Vanguard loaded the bases with two outs on the board, but an untimely groundout closed the inning. Vanguard worked to close the gap and logged one more hit in the sixth frame, but the Royals defense shut down the attempt.

Next Game: Wednesday, April 3rd against University of Antelope Valley at 2:00 p.m. (DH)

LIONS EDGE OUT OAKS TO OPEN SERIES

ATHERTON, Calif. — A three and a half hour contest opened the Golden State Athletic Conference series between Vanguard University and Menlo College. The Pride opens the series on a high note as they emerge victorious from the long afternoon joust, toppling the Oaks with a score of 12-11. Assistant coach Michael Ostrea said he and the rest of the coaching staff are happy with the intensity the Pride brought to Cartan Field. "We were pleased with the fact that guys stay locked in the whole game. We had quality at bats from several guys throughout the game and young guys stepped up today when they needed to." Ostrea noted the team's importance of trusting the process as the regular season winds down. "Right now we are, as a whole, doing things the right way. We want to stick with our process and let the results take care of themselves. We're hoping to make a strong push in these last games of the season to make a statement."

Michael Kashou (SO/Anaheim, CA) opened the game on the mound for the Lions and pitched four full innings. Kashou gave up five hits and five runs, four of which were unearned, and threw six strikeouts. Josh Bailly (SR/Union City, CA) made a brief appearance on the mound and faced two batters before Ryan Daugherty (JR/Laguna Niguel, CA) relieved him in the fifth inning. Daugherty gave up seven hits and four runs, but threw one strikeout. Jared Greer (FR/Anaheim, CA), who picks up the win on the day, faced one batter near the end of the seventh. Alex Camacho (JR/Stockton, CA) earned the save and pitched the final two innings. Camacho faced nine batters, gave up five hits and one run, and tossed one strikeout. Vanguard had a busy day at the plate and logged 13 hits. Chris Rodriguez (JR/Tustin, CA) and Sam Neufeld (JR/Indio, CA) had themselves a day and both went 3-for-5 in the box, and picked up three RBI in the process. Tanner Perry (SR/El Cajon, CA) and Josh Weeks (SO/Murrieta, CA) logged two hits a piece, and each put runs in the books.

Menlo struck first in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing on an error for the unearned run. The second inning put the Pride on top for the first time in the contest with six runs. Neufeld started things off strong and whacked a solo home run to left field. Kody Wright (JR/Bakersfield, CA) was hit by a pitch before Bryce Wetherell (SR/Chattaroy, WA) came out to pinch run. Luke Nobiensky (FR/Temecula, CA) got the runners moving with a single and Tanner Perry sent Wetherell home with a RBI double to left field. Josh Weeks grounded out to second, but the out came with an advantage for Nobiensky's wheels who moved home. With one out on the board and two free bases, the first in a walk from Shane Elias-Calles (SR/Mission Viejo, CA) and another hit by pitch on Joe Johnson (FR/Medford, OR), Rodriguez took his turn at bat and singled on the third pitch tossed his way and logged a RBI on Perry's run. Neufeld made his second appearance of the inning and singled to deep center for two RBI in Johnson and Elias-Calles. Josh Weeks had a busy defensive second inning in center field, capturing the final two outs to move into the top of the third. Weeks scored the only run for the Lions in the third, taking advantage of an error. Menlo chipped at the Lions lead with a solo home run on their end, and the game moved into the fourth frame with the Pride leading 6-2. Menlo held off the Pride's efforts in the top of the inning and pulled within one run of the Lions in the bottom. Menlo tacked on one more run in the fifth frame on a sac-fly.

A scoreless sixth frame heightened the game's intensity, but Vanguard broke the silence in the seventh. Rodriguez roared the Lions offense back to life with a solo home run, setting the stage for Neufeld to double to left field. Wright hit a RBI single to center, and Neufeld ran home to secure a three-run lead. Menlo fired back with four runs in the bottom of the frame and took hold of the 10-9 lead, but Vanguard was not done yet. Johnson scored on a sac-fly to center hit by Rodriguez, and the offense began to heat up. In the top of the ninth, Weeks singled to right field, providing enough insurance for Grady Conner (SO/Costa Mesa, CA) to significantly beat the throw to home and score the twelfth run of the day. Menlo pulled within one run of the Pride in the bottom of the frame, but a timely double play sealed the deal for Vanguard and heads into tomorrow's doubleheader with a win under their belt.

Vanguard Begins with Victory over La Sierra for 5th Straight Year

Photo, Recap Credit: Vanguard

COSTA MESA, Calif. – The Lions recorded their first official game of the season during a home affair against the La Sierra Golden Eagles. This marks the fifth straight year the Lions have opened the season against LSU, all ended in victory. During the span, the Lions have only given up one total goal. Today's contest ended in a 2-0 victory as Jared Gould (SO/Prescott, AZ) and Carlos Yepez (JR/Inglewood, CA) scored for the Blue and Gold.

In a game that saw the Lions record 29 shots against only four by the Golden Eagles, Vanguard did not find the back of the net until the 38^th minute. Yepez scored his first point on the season by taking the Nahum Paz (SR/Costa Mesa, CA) pass and found Gould for the shot that went into the upper left of the goal. At the intermission, La Sierra had six saves while keeper Brandon Gomez (SR/Los Angeles, CA) was tested for his lone time on the day. The Pride held a 12-2 edge in shots as both teams drew two corner kicks. As the second half ticked along, Yepez took the Isaac Pinto (FR/Mission Viejo, CA) pass at the top of the box and drilled it right into the back of the net. By the final whistle, the Lions tallied five more corner kicks and 17 more shots. In all, Vanguard had 12 shots on goal.

Next Match: Tuesday, August 22^nd at 4:00 p.m. against Bethesda

Lions Fall in Pair of Five-Set Matches at Summer Slam

Photo, Recap Credit: Vanguard

FULLERTON, Calif. – The 2017 Vanguard/Hope Summer Slam kicked off Wednesday and the Lions played their only two road games of a five game slate in the tournament. After Biola University's long standing tradition was handed off due to their transition to NCAA Division II, the Lions (1-2) faced their first road action of the year. First, the Blue and Gold matched up against Morningside (RV) (2-0) and later faced #25 College of Idaho (2-0) in the nightcap. Both matches went to the fifth set before Vanguard was defeated. The score from the Morningside game ran (25-14,21-25,21-25,25-21,15-9) while the match against the Yotes was (25-16,20-25,22-25,25-20,15-7).

Morningside (RV) 3, Vanguard 2

Juanae Johnson (SR/Santa Monica, CA) was the kill leader for the match with 17 and was one of four Lions to hit double digit successful attacks. Kamelah Noel (SO/Portland, OR) ended with 12, Shaylen Larson-Piper (JR/Elizabeth, CO) snagged 11, and Jene Lee (SR/San Dimas, CA) finished with 10. Johnson and Noel combined for 95 total attacks. Running a 5-1 offensive system, Kirstin Trabert (SO/Corona, CA) dished out 50 assists, while the counterparts for Morningside added 31 and 23 each in a 6-2 offensive system. Vanguard ended with 5.5 blocks, 1.5 more than the opposition. Each squad recorded a lone solo block. Rebecca Lowden (JR/Glendora, CA) led the match with 27 digs, but Trabert, Noel, and Linsey Ng all had 10 or more digs on the day.

College of Idaho 3, Vanguard 2

The contest was tightly contested, but the Yotes walked off the court in victory. COI held a 13-5 edge in services aces while the Lions recorded six less service errors to a net positive of two points for College of Idaho. Noel led the Pride with 17 kills in the second contest of the day while Taylor Jackson (SR/Las Vegas, NV) was slotted second with 11 kills and Johnson finished right at 10. Noel had the highest hitting percentage for the squad with .400 (outside of setter Trabert going 2-2). Game two saw a shift in philosophy as Trabert tossed out 25 assists while Kylie Garrett (FR/Ladera Ranch, CA) saw her first action of the year and handed out 22 helpers. The dig count was more even as Lowden grabbed 18 and Ng was just behind with 15. The teams were one dig off each other (COI 60, VU 59). Both teams ended with 11.0 blocks with only one solo block coming between the 43 total chances.

Next Match: Today, August 17^th at 10:00 a.m. against Northwestern University and 2:00 p.m. against Southern Oregon University.

Ninth Ranked Lions Earn Tough Victory at #15 Biola

Photo, recap courtesy of Vanguard

LA MIRADA, Calif. – The ninth ranked Lions (7-2, 2-2) bounced back from the conference loss earlier this week by earning a hard fought victory over #15 Biola (7-3, 2-2). Miguel Tapia (FR/Fullerton, CA) found the back of the net off the long throw in from Zac Way (SR/Lakewood, CA) in the 44th minute to score the game winning goal.

Playing at Biola is always a tough match as the rivalry between the schools has only intensified over the last few years. Vanguard held a substantial advantage in shots taken (17-8). Juan Arellano (SR/Hawthorne, CA) tied for a match-high four shots on goal; Nahum Paz (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) was second on the team with three attempts. The Lions took more shots in the first half than the Eagles did in the full 90 minutes. After VU held a 4-1 edge in the first half, the two quads each ended with six corner kicks. Brandon Gomez (JR/Los Angeles, CA) stopped a shot in each half to earn his fifth shutout win of the year, while Igor Puglia was busy for BU stopping five attempts.

"We came into the game and set the tone early with a huge amount of effort and came out with the win," remarked Gomez.

Next Match: Saturday, October 8th at Hope International University at 2:30 p.m.

-GOLD PRIDE-

Lions Win Streak Stopped at Eight

Recap, photo courtesy of Vanguard

LA MIRADA, Calif. – Vanguard University (8-3, 3-1) is knocked off for the first time in eight matches as they are handed a first conference loss by Biola (9-0-1, 3-0-1). The 10th ranked Lions only loses this year have been to teams ranked #2, #8, and #12 in the country. The Pride, sit one point out of first place as Biola holds 10 points through four games.

Throughout the game, the Eagles were the aggressor taking 21 shots compared to seven for the Blue and Gold. Haley Magana (SO/Los Alamitos, CA) was busy between the posts as she had to stop seven shots. Biola held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks and the Lions were whistled for three more fouls during the 90 minutes of match action. Danyelle Allen (SR/San Clemente, CA) took a team high two shots for Vanguard. The lone score of the game came at the 17th minute mark as Brianna Mikalson netted her second goal of the season.

Next Match: Saturday, October 8th at Hope International University at 12:00 p.m.

-GOLD PRIDE-

Lions Cruise Past Oaks

Recap, photo courtesy of Vanguard.

ATHERTON, Calif. – Riding high from the dominance less than a day before in the decisive fifth set, the Lions (7-12, 4-2) sprang out to a hot 25-10 first set win over Menlo College (9-11, 1-5) before winning in straight sets. Vanguard won 25-22 and 25-21 in the final two sets thanks to 29 combined kills. The Blue and Gold earned a .323 hitting percentage for the match nearly double the Oaks' .125% rate.

"Today we came together, focused in, and did our jobs well," remarked Rory McCloy(SR/Colorado Springs, CO). "We knew what we had to do in order to be successful and we accomplished that."

Juanae Johnson (JR/Santa Monica, CA) brought the hammer recording 15 kills for a .367 kill percentage; Shaylen Larson-Piper (SO/Elizabeth, CO) and Hailey Gordon (SO/San Diego, CA) rode shot gun as they each tallied seven kills on 15 attempts each. Kelly Dalrymple(SR/Poway, CA) recorded 22 of the teams 39 assists. In the quick three set match, Rebecca Lowden (SO/Glendora, CA) dug 16 of the Oaks' attempts. Chelsea Taylor (FR/Murrieta, CA) scored the lone solo block for VU while Gordon had a team high five block assists.

"We played very well today and it feels great to get two road wins," head coach Eryn Lejareported. "It was good to see them elevate their level of play after last night; another great performance by Juanae and Becca."

Next Match: Tuesday, October 4th at Biola University at 7:00 p.m.

-GOLD PRIDE-

Lions Fall in 2OT Thriller

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Vanguard (5-1, 0-1), just hours after moving up to eighth in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, squared off in their GSAC opener at The Master's University (6-2-1, 1-0). Regulation time could not determine a winner until the Lions ultimately fell 1-0 in double overtime in the 106th minute.

Juan Arellano (SR/Hawthorne, CA) took four of the Pride's 14 shots, but they couldn't get a shot on frame. Similarly for the Mustangs, they blasted 14 total shots with only the game winning goal ending between the posts. Benjamin Tembo took the goal and Trevor Mangan earned the assist. Kyle Cunningham exits with a shutout in the victory with 10 saves; Brandon Gomez (JR/Los Angeles, CA), the GSAC Defensive Player of the Week, stopped six shots in the match. Vanguard took three more corner kicks than TMU (7-4).

"Master's played really well," reported Director of Soccer Randy Dodge. "It is a tough place to play and we did not adapt to the conditions. We have to respond with a better effort on Saturday."

Next Match: Saturday, September 24th against William Jessup University at 1:30 p.m.

-GOLD PRIDE-