ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Jessup Warriors men's soccer team secured a hard-fought shutout victory over the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs at Warrior Field  on Wednesday afternoon. 

In a match dominated by defense and midfield battles, the two sides entered halftime locked in a scoreless draw. The deadlock was finally broken early in the second half by the Warriors' offense.

The Warriors found the breakthrough at the 62nd minute as junior forward Aidan Vangelatos cracked the tie with an assist from Justin Parrish.

The goal marked Vangelatos first of the season and proved to be the only score the Warriors would need.

Jessup's back line and goalkeeper, Alonso Ruiz, stood firm against the Banana Slugs' attack, earning the crucial clean sheet. Ruiz made three saves on the afternoon, preserving the shutout and denying every UC Santa Cruz shot on target. The Warriors defense successfully limited the Banana Slugs to just 8 total shots (3 on goal) for the entire match.

Head Coach Greg Lazaga commented on his team's win, "It was a great day for a win and a bunch of our guys were ready for it. Fun to watch Alonso come up with some great saves, including the PK stop." He continued about his goalkeeper's successful day, "He galvanized the group with that save; he has come so far in the last year and a half it's fun to watch." 

Lazaga said about his goal scorer, "Aidan is another one who is just always working so hard and tuned in and found the back of the net today, proud of him and all the other guys for the win." 

The 1-0 final score marks an important home victory for Jessup as they close out the final non-conference portion of their schedule. The Warriors next matchup will be at home against Chaminade University on Saturday, November 1st for senior day.