Men’s Soccer
Azusa Pacific took on rival Fresno Pacific Thursday night in hopes of capping off its PacWest championship run with a victory over its rival. The Sunbirds had defeated the Cougars in the last five matches between the teams, including in the postseason last year. APU won this contest 3-0.
Both teams struggled to get the ball in the net in the first half, despite some near-misses. At one point, junior Keyran Kelly took a shot on goal, only to have it bounce hard off the crossbar and go out of the net.
“Fresno Pacific is a quality team and we have had great games with them over the years, so we knew it was going to be a battle,” head coach Dave Blomquist said. “The first was just a great half of soccer. Both teams moved the ball well, and I felt that if we kept the ball moving we’d break through their defense.”
The Cougars did, in fact, break through the defense in the second half, putting up three goals to lift them to a 3-0 lead over the Sunbirds. Two goals came from sophomore defender Colton Lamb, who put in the pair of goals off penalty kicks.
“It was exciting to be out there,” said senior forward Jeremy Bishop, who played his final regular-season game Thursday night. “I could have played simple, but that’s not my style, and it feels great to play my final home game with passion. We have are excited about the next step this program is going to take.”
The Cougars will find out Monday afternoon where the playoffs will be held as well as who will participate them. Bishop is excited to potentially have the NCAA tournament held in Azusa due to the Cougars’ strong home presence. APU has not lost a home game since Sept. 30, 2013.
Women’s Soccer
Azusa Pacific’s women’s soccer also took on Fresno Pacific Thursday night, and defeated the Sunbirds 1-0.
The Cougars dominated in ball control, putting up a total of 33 shots on the night, but only eight of those were actually on goal. The Sunbirds’ defense held strong against the Cougar attack, allowing just one goal, which came with only 38 seconds of play left.
“The girls worked hard tonight,” head coach Jason Surrell said. “There’s a pride in what the team does. They have a mentality of winning. I credit them for continually fighting for that winning goal this evening.”
In the latter portions of the second half, the Cougars had a great opportunity after sophomore forward Lindsay Ryals’ free kick. However, an attempt in front of the goal from Haley Fisher missed, causing the Cougars to go back and start over. Several minutes later, Azusa Pacific was able to put up the game-winner off the foot of sophomore forward Katelyn Rogers, who shot a bullet into the net.
“I saw the opportunity and just wanted to take advantage of it,” Rogers said. “It’s great to send the seniors off with a victory. They have been such a great influence, and it’s great to send them off on a win.”
The victory over Fresno Pacific gave Azusa Pacific 10 wins on the season, which they have done for the last 18 years in a row. This game also marked the end of the season for the Cougars, and the last game for seniors Amanda Hardy, Shannon Hardy, Logan Chan and Alyx Williams.