The Cougars are trying to look at the bright side despite their loss to Concordia University Irvine.
Azusa Pacific University Men’s Soccer suffered another tough loss to Concordia University Irvine 0-2 on Thursday evening. What started off as a hot, sunny game turned to complete darkness after the Cougar Soccer Complex lost power during the second half in the 66th minute. Despite keeping the Golden Eagles on their toes, APU wasn’t able to answer back when the game continued.
This is the second time the Golden Eagles and the Cougars have faced each other this season. The first was a non-conference game on Sept. 30 that ended in a loss for the Cougars 0-1. Coming into the second matchup, the Cougars were expecting a good battle.
“We had high expectations for it, but we’re continuing to fight through the struggle right now—to try and turn things around,” said Coach Dave Blomquist.
If you looked at the goal during the game, you might have noticed that APU’s main goalkeeper wasn’t there. Instead, it was Alexis Rodriguez, a freshman who made his first appearance for the team on Thursday. Leo Moreno, a senior and the Cougars’ main goalie, suffered an injury in their last match versus Westmont College. Rodriguez stepped up to fill Moreno’s shoes.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the field. We train hard as a team together,” said senior Marco Bermudez.
The Cougars started with the kick off for the first half. A quick advance up the field allowed APU to have their first corner kick. Followed by another corner kick and two shot attempts from Gabriel Oropeza, the Cougars attacked CUI’s backfield. Although unsuccessful, it set the tone and let the Golden Eagles know that it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
The physicality was matched by both teams as they fought for possession of the ball—no one was backing down. The Golden Eagles reciprocated APU’s initial attack, with two shot attempts and a chance to score on a corner kick in the 23rd minute. The corner kick was successful for CUI with Ryan Smith scoring their first goal. Paired with a yellow card on Cougar defender Fritz Oestreicher shortly after, the momentum had shifted in favor of the Golden Eagles.
Several substitutions allowed the Cougars to have fresh legs to pressure the Golden Eagles. APU maintained possession of the ball towards the end of the half, taking three on-goal shots and two corner kicks. Despite their efforts, the ball just wouldn’t roll in the goal.
CUI kicked off the second half. The Cougars came out strong, with two, back-to-back, on-goal shots. The Golden Eagles didn’t let that phase them. In the 51st minute, CUI’s Anthony Morales scored their second goal for the night. APU was a bit shaken up, but there was still sufficient time left in the game for them to answer back.
Several fouls were exchanged between both teams. The Cougars were hungry to score a goal, taking three on-goal shots and two additional corner kicks. Quickness from forwards Sean Romo and Hamza Adam allowed APU to get those opportunities.
This is where the night took a turn of events. As the Golden Eagles were getting ready to throw in the ball, everything went dark. The Cougar Soccer Complex had lost power. After 15 minutes of waiting for light to be restored, everyone was hopeful the game would continue. The lights were slowly warming up and we were waiting for them to get to full power. And then we lost power…again.
After another 15 minutes of coaches, players, fans and staff members praying that the game wouldn’t be rescheduled, power was restored. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:3 (NRSV).
“We were down at the time 2-0. We were just staying confident, telling the team to keep going, there was still 20 minutes left on the clock and let’s give it our all and see what happens,” said Romo.
During the break, both teams were allowed to regroup, recharge and refresh themselves. This allowed APU and CUI to come out with fresh legs. When the game resumed, it was just as physical. A quick, second yellow card on Oestreicher required him to step out of the game and put APU down one player.
If you’re unfamiliar with the rules of soccer, when a player gets two yellow cards, they are automatically ineligible to play the rest of the game. There are no substitutions allowed for the player who received the penalty, and the team must play with only 10 players on the field.
Faced with fatigue and a disadvantage, APU made several substitutions after the red card. With only 10 players on the field—losing a strong defender—APU had to ensure they protected the goal. Oestreicher, a senior and captain, was an important contributor on the field.
The Golden Eagles saw this situation as an opportunity. They continued their attack on the Cougars, pressuring the defense and pushing the ball quickly up the field. Bermudez stepped up and took control defensively for APU.
“I think we responded really well to that,” said Blomquist.
The Cougars did not back down and continued their attempts to score a goal. Romo, Oropeza and Mario Shuteriqi attempted to score several times in the final minutes, but just couldn’t make it happen. APU played until the last whistle, giving everything they had to the game. The final score was APU-0, CUI-2.
The Cougars are looking to learn from this game to apply it to their next matchup. Blomquist emphasized doing the little things that will help them be better offensively and defensively.
“With this team, it’s all about winning boxes,” said Blomquist.
The Cougars now have an overall record of 3-7-2 and a conference record of 2-3. The team has plenty more games this season to bounce back. The next game will be at 5 p.m. against Fresno Pacific University on Oct. 23 at the Cougar Soccer Complex.