Sophomore Keenan Armbrust fires a shot in the Sept. 30 game against Hawai’i Pacific. He is one of many clutch players leading the team in game-winning goals with four.
Photo by Steven Mercado
The Azusa Pacific men’s soccer team is used to pressure.
After Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Point Loma, the Cougars finished their 18-game season with a 14-4 overall, 10-2 conference record. Thirteen of those 18 games were decided by one goal.
When the game is within one goal, its intensity rises as it progresses. The Cougars have stepped up in these situations, with nearly every game being decided in the final minutes. Many factors come into play in order to be effective in crunch time, but head coach Dave Blomquist believes it begins with defense and ball movement.
“One of the things this year is our defending has been great,” Blomquist said. “We’ve been able to keep the other teams from getting goals and limit the chances they’ve had. We’ve done a pretty good job this year of how we’ve moved the ball as a team, but other teams have defended well against us and not given us as many opportunities as in previous years.”
The back four is led by senior center back Jamarko Washington. He initially joined the Cougars as an attacker but slowly transitioned into a defender, first becoming an outside back until last year. This year he took on the challenge of filling the center back spot. He started in all 18 games this season and has been one of the most consistent players for the Cougars all year.
“One of [Washington’s] greatest strengths is that he’s very diligent on the field and he’s got a great sense of duty as a defender,” Blomquist said. “He knows that’s his primary job, he takes pride in it, and he does it every time.”
Blomquist credits the other backs as well for feeding off of Washington’s passion.
Washington said his fellow backs work well to support each other as a defensive unit.
“I think we do a really good job of helping each other out because, to be honest, we defend a lot,” Washington said. “We’re used to seeing a lot of attacking, so that makes us have to cover each other’s backs.”
Junior starting goalkeeper Chip Cox started in 13 games and senior goalkeeper Jeff Dunn started in four. Senior goalkeeper Scott Kinney appeared in two games and started in one. Each of these goalkeepers stepped it up this year, keeping the ball out of the net for each game’s full 90 minutes.
“When a game is tight, and almost all of them have been this year, goalkeepers can play a huge role in which way the game goes because there is often times when it’s a tie game or even if you’re up by one where they’re going to have to make a save that’s going to … win the game for you,” Blomquist said. “[Cox] and [Dunn] have done a fantastic job and even when [Kinney] had to go in this year, he was fantastic as well. To have not only quality but depth with those three has been superb.”
The Cougars’ 4-3-3 offense proved successful throughout the season, especially whenever they needed a quick score. In their Oct. 24 matchup at Notre Dame de Namur, they scored three goals in three minutes, taking the lead 4-3 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. The Cougars’ win was a testimony to not only the ability to score quickly, but the fight and heart in the team.
“It’s a group that plays the entire game, until the final whistle,” Blomquist said. “When we were down [against Notre Dame de Namur], there was no [giving] up. We often say, ‘It’s not a matter of if, but when,’ in terms of what we do in the attack. They kept going in that game and put together the three goals in three minutes to win it. They’ve shown great resiliency and great character all year.”
Senior midfielder Oktay Bulut has spent all four seasons with Azusa Pacific. He leads the Cougars in goals scored with nine. He said it is crucial for soccer players to believe that they can win the game, even if they are losing.
“I’m also a little bit older than most of the guys — I’ve been playing for 20 years now and that’s one of the things that I’ve definitely learned,” said Bulut, who has been playing since he was 5-years-old. “You have to believe in it. Every time. That you can change the game.”
The Cougars share the mindset of never giving up, which is why the team has been able to perform so well to the very end of their games.
Washington’s defensive mentality involves doing whatever it takes to get the ball away from the net.
“That was my mindset in the Cal Baptist game and after we [came back] at Notre Dame,” he said. “I didn’t care what we did on offense or on defense — all I knew was that if there was anything I could do about it, they were not going to score a goal.”
With nearly all their games remaining undecided until the 90th minute was up, Blomquist believes the team is used to and comfortable with tight games.
“The pressure doesn’t get to us,” Blomquist said. “We know that we’ve got to be sharp in everything we do — in our defending, not to give up a goal when the game hangs in the balance — but we know there’s a better chance than not that we’re going to be the team that comes through.”
Some players, including Bulut, love the thrill of playing in crunch time.
“That’s one of the best parts of the game, being under pressure. I’ve always loved it, when you are under pressure and you have to do something,” Bulut said. “That’s when I get my last 10 to 15 percent. When you work hard and you believe in it and you know you have to do something, in the end, you will get your result.”
When the game runs down to the wire, the Cougars do not have a go-to player. Like other teams, they have specific players who are seen as the best scorers, but this year’s game-winning goals have come from many different players on the team’s roster. Blomquist said it’s “a great thing” that he never knows where the goal will come from during close games.
“One of the things that we embrace is unselfishness … and it takes multiple goal scorers so that the other team doesn’t know where it’s coming from,” Blomquist said. “With multiple options and great players that can score and score in the clutch to get game-winners makes it very difficult to defend and increases the chances that we are going to get the game-winner.”
The men’s soccer team now looks to bring its late-game prowess into the postseason as players prepare to host the NCCAA Regionals semifinal game Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The winner of this match will face the winner of the Fresno Pacific Regional semifinal match on Saturday, Nov. 16.