After a scoreless first half, the Sea Lions came away with a 3-0 victory. 

 

The Women’s Soccer team entered their last match before Pacific West Conference play against the 6th-ranked Point Loma Nazarene University tonight in Azusa. The Cougars entered the matchup following a 2-1 win at Cal Poly Pomona last weekend. 

 

Much of the opening 45 minutes was spent on defense for the Cougars in the first half. Turnovers, offensive pressure and physicality from Point Loma remained constant. Cougars Head Coach Brooke Lincoln expressed disappointment in the team’s offensive performance. 

 

“I think we were disappointed in our ability to move the ball in the first half and [with] the amount of turnovers,” said Lincoln. 

 

Captain Jaci Maze shared Coach Lincoln’s sentiment on taking care of the ball. Maze noted, “We want to be a possession team, and if we want to do that we need to take care of the ball.”

 

The team’s defensive performance in the first half was certainly a positive for the Cougars tonight. Starting goalkeeper Maddie Williams kept Point Loma scoreless—an impressive feat against a team that scored 13 goals in their first seven games. 

 

Point Loma forward Alana Diaz eventually ended the drought with goals in both the 50th and 65th minute. Diaz’s second goal came after an ill-advised turnover in front of the APU goal. Emma Thrapp also scored on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute for the Sea Lions. 

 

Offensively the Cougars just couldn’t find a rhythm. The team finished nine shots and only five on goal. Although they had opportunities to score, turnovers and defensive pressure made it difficult to capitalize on offense. 

 

Despite the loss, Lincoln noted some positives for the Cougars tonight. “I thought our players off the bench gave us some good energy which was something we talked about, so I’m really proud of our players.” 

 

Junior forward Bethany Tee also recognized the physicality of Point Loma ahead of their first conference matchup. “I think the PacWest does a really good job of creating a physical atmosphere, and we were expecting that throughout the game,” Tee said. 

 

The Cougars move to 3-2-2 after tonight’s loss, while Point Loma enters conference play at 5-1-2. Although Point Loma is a member of the PacWest conference, tonight’s meeting will not count against the Cougar’s conference record. The two teams will face off in a conference matchup in San Diego on October 15.

 

APU looks to bounce back on Friday against Concordia University in their first conference meeting. The Cougars will look to snap Concordia’s two-game win streak as the Golden Eagles travel to Azusa.