SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. ö Six weeks ago Scott Strahammer was a beleaguered keeper fighting to keep his starting assignment between the pipes. He surrendered 9 goals in the Cougars' first 5 losses, 3 of which cost Azusa Pacific the game. The Cougars won just 2 of their first 8 games and a season of hope and promise was beginning to unravel in Strahammer's hands. As a result, teammates and fans were whispering for a change in keepers.
Yet all Scott needed was a little time and a little patience, because the youngster has grown up in a major way. Today Strahammer is the toast of Cougar soccer and a fixture in the net.
In its most significant game of the season, the NAIA's No. 15-ranked Azusa Pacific, led by Strahammer's effort, managed a scoreless tie with 14th-ranked Westmont in the semifinals of the NAIA regional playoffs in Santa Barbara. However, by virtue of a 3-1 shootout victory, Azusa Pacific advances and now is headed to next Saturday's regional championship game at Fresno Pacific with a berth into the NAIA championship tourney on the line.
For 150 minutes of play today on Westmont's Carr Field, Strahammer kept the Warriors at bay, collecting a career-high 9 saves while recording the third shut out of his career. Westmont keeper Adam Throop was equal to the task, holding the Cougars scoreless while picking up 5 saves.
After 60 minutes of overtime play, including 30 of sudden death action, the game went to a shootout where Stahammer stepped to the forefront. The 6-foot-3 sophomore out of Arlington Heights, Ill., stopped Westmont's first 2 penalty kick attempts by Nathan Kolano and Todd Marcus. Throop blocked Azusa Pacific's first effort by Matt Evans. However, sophomore Ryan Fridborg slipped a PK by Throop to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. After Westmont's Hugo Llamas missed, the Cougars went up 2-0 on a Dan Wilson goal. The Warriors stayed alive and cut the Cougar lead in half on a David Town conversion. The Cougars, though, came right back and clinched the shootout victory when freshman Addi Schram scored to give Azusa Pacific an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
Azusa Pacific, which still has not beaten Westmont in 6 postseason games (all in Santa Barbara), nonetheless advances at the expense of the Warriors for the first time ever. The Cougars face GSAC champion Fresno Pacific on Saturday (Nov. 13) at 1 p.m. for the regional title. Fresno Pacific was a 3-1 victor over Point Loma Nazarene in the other regional semifinal. The Cougars dropped a 3-0 decision to the Sunbirds on Steinhart Field back on Sept. 28 in both teams' GSAC opener.
Since suffering a painful 2-1 loss on Sept. 22 at Cal State Nothridge in which the Cougars out-played the NCAA Division I Matadors, Strahammer has been a new man in goal, allowing just 8 goals in 12 games while carving out an impressive 0.67 goals against average.
With today's tie, the Cougars are now 11-7-3 on the season. Westmont's season comes to an end at 11-3-4. Fresno Pacific is 16-2-2.
