Lions top Mariners to advance

By using 19 players for at least 10 minutes, the Vanguard University women’s soccer team came at visiting Marymount of California in waves in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament on Saturday.

But statistically speaking, the Lions’ 3-0 victory was dominated by a dynamic duo.

Junior forward Madison Lopp had her third career hat trick, her first of the season, and senior midfielder Alex Bachman compiled three assists to help the No. 8-seeded hosts (17-3) win their ninth straight game.

The victory, the 17th in its last 18 contests, propelled Vanguard, ranked No. 7 in the latest NAIA poll, into the 16-team final-site tournament that begins Nov. 28 in Orange Beach, Ala. It’s the Lions’ fourth trip to the Sweet 16 in five seasons.

The Lions, who won the Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, will get a rematch with No. 2-ranked and No. 9-seeded Martin Methodist in the round of 16 on Nov. 28. The Tennessee-based school (13-2-3) defeated Vanguard, 4-2, in the season opener on Aug. 24.

Lopp gave Vanguard, which now has 15 shutouts this season, all it would need in the 13th minute. She ran onto a long pass from Bachman just in front of charging Marymount goalkeeper Olivia Bedard about 12 yards out. Lopp, an All-GSAC performer who now has a team-best 11 goals this season and 33 in her career, poked the ball past Bedard, a Golden West College product, then punched it into the net before either Bedard, or a closing defender could do anything about it.

In the 16th minute, the scenario repeated almost identically, as Lopp once again beat Bedard to the ball and pushed it past her after running onto Bachman’s long through ball from just inside midfield.

Lopp, who scored four times in an 8-1 win over San Diego Christian in 2015 and four times in an 18-0 romp against Bathesda in her freshman season, capped the scoring in the 21st minute. Yet again, Bedard failed to secure the ball after coming off her line and Lopp popped in the loose ball.

Vanguard sophomore keeper Haley Magana made just one save to preserve her 12th shutout, as Vanguard posted a 20-4 shot advantage.

Marymount, based in Palos Verdes, finished 11-10. The Cal-Pac Conference Tournament champion was 1-7 against GSAC teams this season. In those games, the Mariners were outscored, 22-5, including five clean sheets.

Bachman, who scored the game-winner in a 1-0 triumph over Biola in the GSAC Tournament final on Sept. 12, now has a team-best eight assists to go with four goals this season.

“[Bachman] was spot-on with all three of those passes,” Lopp said. “Her great service made it easy for me.”

Vanguard Coach Randy Dodge said sending the ball forward over the top of the defense was among the things his team worked on during the week of preparation for its fifth consecutive NAIA Tournament opening-round home game.

“They were three great goals,” Dodge said. “We’ve been working on those things and they applied them straightaway. We just did our job today.”

There is, however, work to be done in Alabama, where the Lions have advanced to the quarterfinals only once (2012) in five previous trips.

“This team has surprised me all year long,” Dodge said. “They find ways to win and they are so committed to each other. We’re just a good, good team, and when you’re a good, good team, anything can happen.”

Said Lopp, “We’re going to bring all we have to Alabama.”