In a hard fought game to open the Golden State Athletic Conference championship tournament, the men’s soccer season came to a close, falling 2-0 to Vanguard University.

The men struggled in offense with four shots on goal overshadowed by Vanguard’s 11. The game started with Vanguard shooting eight times before the ten minute mark. None of these shots found the net. The Eagles’ goalkeeper, junior J.T. Addington, played a great game, earning three of his nine total saves while weathering that early storm in the first half. The first goal did not get by him until almost the 60th minute of play, a rebound shot after his seventh save.

The game stayed 1-0 for most of the half after the first goal. Freshman midfielder Jarrett Pugh gave Vanguard a scare when he sent a shot on goal for tie at the 83rd minute only for the opposing goalkeeper to save it. Three minutes later, Vanguard effectively secured their lead with a second goal. It marked the first time in nearly a month that the Eagles lost.

The Eagles’ 2014 season ended with a 7-6-4 record. They played well at home this year with a 4-2-1 record but their road record of 2-4-2 was shaky. In conference play they went 4-3-3. This season marks a decline from last year when they went to the GSAC title game with a record of 14-4-1 and fell to Concordia University.

Junior forward Stephen Tanquary led the team in shots and goals this season by firing off 57 and finding the back of the net eight times. He is tied with midfielder junior Joey O’Keefe for most assists this season, each with five.

Midfielders Sava Pantic, Stephen Campos, Michael Kute and forward Alex Kincade are all seniors who will be graduating this year. The team is still young with nine freshmen and enough depth to compensate for these departures next season.