Lions start anew in NAIA playoffs

The Vanguard University men’s and women’s soccer teams, both of which finished sixth in the 11-team Golden State Athletic Conference, have earned berths into the NAIA Region II playoffs.

Coach Randy Dodge’s women’s team (8-5-3, 3-4-2 in conference) will venture to Riverside to meet No. 17-ranked Cal Baptist (12-4-1, 7-2-1), a conference rival, in a first-round playoff clash today at 1 p.m. Cal Baptist is the No. 2 seed in the regional, while Vanguard is seeded seventh.

Today’s four first-round winners will advance to Friday’s regional semifinals, with matchups and sites to be determined.

The Lions’ men’s team (9-6, 4-5), also coached by Dodge, travels to Oakland to play Holy Names on Thursday at 1 p.m.

The Vanguard men are the No. 5 seed, while Holy Names (13-2-2, 7-0-0 in the California Pacific Conference) is the No. 4 seed.

The men’s semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, with matchups and sites to be determined.

The Vanguard women defeated Cal Baptist, 1-0, on Oct. 16, but have since lost three straight. The Lions are led by sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Foss (0.93 goals-against average and eight shutouts) and senior defender Emelia Miller, both of whom were named first-team All-GSAC.

The Vanguard offense is paced by freshman forward Danielle Dintino (seven goals and two assists) and sophomore forward Hanna Lovbrand (three goals and two assists).

The defensive-minded Vanguard women have outscored opponents, 19-16, this season.

Cal Baptist has five first-team all-conference players, including four-time All-GSAC performer Monica Lydon, a senior.

Junior Lindsey Merrett (12 goals, four assists), freshman Jacquelyn Witz (10 goals, five assists), freshman Lizzy Bendrick (six goals, two assists) and sophomore defender Jenna Ohmanns are the other all-conference honorees for the Lancers, who are 2-0-1 since losing to Vanguard.

The Vanguard men placed freshman forward Tomislav Ciolic and senior Jeff Cocca on the All-GSAC team. Colic, from Serbia, led the team in scoring with six goals and one assists, while sophomore Christopher Leiva had four goals and seven assists.

Vanguard freshman goalie Trevor Herrera has five of the team’s six shutouts and has a goals-against average of 1.31.

The Lions’ men outscored opponents, 25-19, this season and their last four wins have all been 1-0 verdicts.

Holy Names has outscored opponents, 71-14, this season, including a 44-2 edge in seven conference games. The Hawks are led by junior forward Jonathan Tinjaca (16 goals in 13 games) and sophomore forward Mustafa Celik (11 goals in 12 games).

Holy Names and Vanguard have two common opponents in Fresno Pacific and The Master’s. Holy Names tied Fresno Pacific, 1-1, Aug. 25 and tied The Master’s, 1-1, Sept. 8. Vanguard lost to Fresno Pacific, 4-2, Sept. 29 and defeated The Master’s, 1-0, Oct. 6. Holy Names’ losses were to UC Santa Cruz and Sonoma State.

— Barry Faulkner