BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- The NAIA's No. 10-ranked Azusa Pacific upset No. 3-ranked and previously undefeated Birmingham-Southern College, 2-0, in the first day of the Birmingham-Southern Classic.
Freshman Matt Evans (3:05) and senior Jason Roufs (26:34) tallied 2 first-half goals, and senior GK Tim Gorman stopped 7 Panther shots to preserve the win for Azusa Pacific while recording his fourth shut out of the season.
Roufs' goal, which iced one of the biggest victories in Azusa Pacific history, is also one of the most significant of his career. It made him Azusa Pacific's all-time scorer with 110 points, surpassing Kojo Asamoah's (1979-82) former standard of 109.
This is only the second meeting between these 2 NAIA powers, and ironically, Azusa Pacific won the first meeting, 1-0 over the Panthers, who entered that game ranked No. 3 as well. With tonight's victory, Azusa Pacific has won 5 straight over NAIA Top 10 ranked teams, a run that stretches back to 1996.
Azusa Pacific is now 6-1-1 on the season, while Birmingham-Southern, which had its school-record string of 6 consecutive shut out victories snapped at 6, falls to 7-1.
Scoring by Halves
Azusa Pacific 2 0 -- 2
Birmingham-Southern 0 0 -- 0
GOALS: Evans (APU), Roufs (APU)
SAVES: Gorman (APU) 7
SHOTS: APU 15, BSC 8
FOULS: APU 21, BSC 12
