Women’s soccer battled in two close games this past week and came out with a win and a tie
Azusa Pacific women’s soccer improved to 3-1-1 this weekend, with a tie against Chico State on Thursday and a 3-1 victory over San Francisco St on Saturday.
Though Thursday’s match ended in a draw, it was a battle all the way through. Chico State, ranked 24th in the nation, capitalized on their possessions and earned more scoring opportunities than APU, tallying 22 shots on the night to APU’s 13. However, the Cougars remained determined through all 110 minutes of play to keep CSU off the scoreboard.
Goalkeeper Jennifer Kovisto rose to the 22-shot occasion. In just the fifth start of her young career, the sophomore racked up 9 saves, the most she’s had in a single game to date. This is the second game this season Kovisto has had a save percentage of 1.000%. Her effort Thursday night was praised by head coach Brooke Lincoln who called Kovisto’s performance “brilliant.”
Randi Macadangdang and Abi Hume led the Cougars’ scoreless offensive effort, combining for six of APU’s 13 shots. Macadangdang is off to a strong start in her third season. The talented forward has scored three times on 11 shots through the first five games of the season. She is on pace to put up well over 28 shots this season, the mark she had in her sophomore campaign.
The Cougars moved on from Thursday’s draw and finished their road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory against San Francisco State. APU hung tough in the first half after giving up the first goal of the game to SFSU early in the match. Macadangdang tied the game up before half, capitalizing on a misplayed ball by the SFSU goalkeeper.
APU took over in the second half by making the most of their scoring opportunities; they had 5 shots on goal in the game. Goals from Jordan Hill and Randi Macadangdang helped put the game out of reach for SFSU and sealed the victory for the Cougars.
Lincoln was proud of the way her team responded to early adversity and came back to dominate late in the game. She was especially happy with how they bounced back from a long, tough game on Thursday night against a ranked opponent.
APU takes their impressive 3-1-1 record into this week, when they will play their last two games before beginning PacWest conference play on October 3. The Cougars are currently ranked. No. 2 overall in the PacWest, ahead of Point Loma and Concordia, who they will face this week in non-conference matches.
Junior transfer Maddy Morrison has been a key contributor to APU’s early success. She has the ability to change a game at any moment, likely a reason she has played meaningful minutes and earned her first start against Chico State. She has two goals on four shots and two assists in her first five games as a Cougar.
APU hopes to take the momentum from their road trip into their game against Point Loma on Thursday night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer Complex.