Women’s soccer responds to two straight losses with an impressive win
It has been a frustrating few weeks for Azusa Pacific’s women’s soccer team. The squad lost two competitions over the span of two weeks and were outscored 4-0 in those matchups. However, on Saturday they responded with the sixth victory of their season, conquering Hawai’i Pacific by a score of 5-2 at home.
APU’s offense helped them come away with the win after a strong first half. During the first 45 minutes, the Cougars outshot their opponents 13-2. The shot advantage allowed them to take an early lead when junior Maddy Morrison scored an unassisted goal in the 25th minute.
The Cougars doubled that lead in the 42nd minute after sophomore Abi Hume collected her third goal of the season. A dominant half from head coach Brooke Lincoln and her squad allowed them to feel comfortable with the lead they possessed at halftime, and they continued to pile on goals in the second half.
HPU answered quickly at the start of the second half, scoring their first goal of the game two minutes into the half, cutting the Cougars lead to one. Nevertheless, Morrison displayed her brilliance again just two minutes later and scored yet another goal, giving her two on the game. This time, she was assisted by junior Jordan Hill.
Hill was involved in the action again only two minutes later when she earned her second assist of the contest, connecting with junior Randi Macadangdang for the Cougars fourth goal. Macadangdang has been heavily involved in APU’s offense all season, leading the team with 22 shots and 14 shots on goal.
APU’s lead was cut to 4-2 in the 65th minute after a goal by HPU’s Nina Gonzales. But the Cougars once again brought it to a three-goal difference seven minutes before the game ended as senior captain Emmy Koflanovich earned her second goal of the year.
The Cougars needed to respond with more offense after being shut out twice in a row. Responding against a team who was carrying a four-game win streak before this match could potentially generate much-needed momentum for this team.
Following the victory, the Cougars stand at 6-5-1 on the season, along with a 2-3 record in PacWest play. The team advances to fifth in the conference standings with nine points. This was their second consecutive home game, and their home stretch will last for three more contests before the team ends their regular season with a three-game away stretch.
The next game for the Cougars is against Hawai’i Hilo at the Cougar Soccer Complex on Monday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.