Women’s Soccer: Vanguard opens NAIA Tournament at home

The Vanguard University women’s soccer team received an at-large berth into the NAIA Tournament and will play host to Columbia of Missouri in the opening round, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Coach Randy Dodge’s Lions earned the seventh of eight at-large bids after finishing 14-5-1, 7-2-1 for third in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions lost in the semifinals of the GSAC Tournament on Thursday.

It’s the fourth straight national tournament for Vanguard, its fifth overall.

Columbia (18-3) won the American Midwest Conference Tournament to earn an automatic bid, but Vanguard posted a higher RPI to earn the host assignment.

The Lions are paced by all-conference forwards Madison Lopp and Danyelle Allen, as well as All-GSAC defenders Asia Kleinmeyer and Lauren Aronson.

Lopp, a sophomore, has 12 goals and five assists, while Allen, a junior, has 10 goals and three assists.

Kleinmeyer and Aronson, a senior and sophomore, respectively, helped the Lions produce nine shutouts and outscore their opponents, 55-15.

The 15 opening-round winners will advance to join the host school for the NAIA Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

— From staff reports