The Cougars escaped with a 3-2 win over Hawai’i Hilo on Monday night
It was another hard-fought win for Azusa Pacific’s men’s soccer on Monday night, as their 3-2 overtime victory over the Hawai’i Hilo Vulcans advances them to a perfect 13-0 so far this season.
The scoring began when APU’s David Kwinn notched his eighth goal of the season in the 11th minute, perfectly placing the ball near the bottom left of the net, just past the reach of UHH goalkeeper Michael Harre. Kwinn found the back of the net again just 15 minutes later with a devastatingly powerful header, giving the Cougars an early 2-0 lead.
Near the end of the first half, the Vulcans began to find some momentum offensively. They eventually got on the board with only 10 seconds left in the half, as Devan Yoshimura was able to sneak the ball in the goal on the team’s third shot of the contest. From this point on, it felt like anyone’s game.
Despite the Cougars outshooting the Vulcans 15-3 in the first half, the second half was far more even. Although APU did outshoot their opponent in the final 45 minutes, it was only a difference of four total shots between the two sides. The scoreboard, however, favored UHH as they scored the lone goal of the second half.
Vulcans’ midfielder Jorge Martinez corralled a pass from teammate Henrique Castilho and shot the ball past APU goalkeeper Brendan Fix to tie the game at two goals apiece. Although UHH didn’t build momentum from the goal, the Cougars were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances as Vulcan goalkeeper Harre was on his game, collecting five saves in the second half.
Once the whistle sounded, the Cougars were ready to compete in their third overtime contest of the season. APU won their third overtime game as Ghana native Issac Bowa headed in a corner kick from Gregoire Diep, sealing the win for the Cougars. It was Bowa’s first goal of the season.
“It is the most amazing feeling ever,” said Bowa. “I had so much success scoring when I played in Ghana, but in America it has been harder for me. But I had a feeling that today was the day, and I told my teammates that before the game. And by the grace of God it went in.”
APU came off just a two-day break after a win against Hawai’i Pacific on Saturday, and in the second half, it was noticeable that they were gassed. Not to mention, Hawai’i Hilo is at the bottom of the PacWest conference table, and it is quite possible that this team underestimated their opponent.
“The first thing coach Blom said was that this game was a reality check for us,” said Kwinn. “We played a team who was at the bottom of the table, and they fought us incredibly well. With the run we’re on, teams are going to start wanting to beat Azusa, and we need to prepare for that.”
Nevertheless, what is most important for the Cougars is that they were able to leave home field with the win and keep their unbeaten streak intact. The number-one ranked Cougars are now 6-0 against PacWest teams, and they have outscored their conference competition 19 goals compared to three. However, a result like this makes it clear that the Cougars still have areas to improve on.
“In the second half we couldn’t really find our momentum. We weren’t really engaged and we struggled to communicate once they scored that goal before halftime,” said head coach David Blomquist. “We understand that we are capable of playing good football and can beat anybody, but we also realize we can lose to anybody. So the confidence is there, but it has to continue to grow.”
APU will compete in two more home games before they finish their regular season with a three-game road trip. Their next game will be on Saturday against Chaminade. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer Complex.