Cougars Clinch Another GSAC Title

AZUSA, CALIF. – After a scoreless first half, Azusa Pacific chipped away for a pair of second half goals on its way to a 2-0 win over visiting Christian Heritage in the final regular season match for both teams.

By virtue of the win, the Cougars, ranked No. 13 in the NAIA, clinch a tie for their second consecutive GSAC championship.

"We played well but lacked the necessary energy to put the game away," said first-year Cougar head coach Phil Wolf. "We are still steady in the back, but I'm still waiting for everything to click up front."

Junior Stephen Hawk scored his third goal of the season just 7 minutes into the second half to give the Cougars a 1-0 advantage. Christian Heritage GK Neil Saffer deflected a Cougar shot, which Hawk collected just inside the 18-yard box and promptly placed it inside the near post and into the back of the net.

Just 6 minutes later, junior defender Jacob Ward carried the ball down the left sideline, sending it to a wide-open Jordan Jones. With just Saffer in front of him, Jones tucked the ball away into the upper right corner of the net for his team-leading tenth goal of the season.

The Cougars controlled much of the action, generating several scoring chances and out shooting the Hawks 26-2. Saffer collected 13 saves for the Hawks.

Senior GK Scott Strahammer needed to make just one save to record his sixth straight shutout and his tenth of the season. Strahammer, who last week set the Azusa Pacific record for career shutouts (22), needs just 2 more shutouts to set the single-season record of 12.

With the win, the Cougars are now 13-1-2 overall, 9-1 GSAC. Christian Heritage moves to 4-15 overall, 2-8 in the GSAC.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Scott Strahammer: GK; 6' 3"; Senior

#6 Jacob Ward: D; 6' 1"; Junior

#10 Stephen Hawk: MF; 5' 10"; Junior

#20 Jordan Jones: F; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#1 Scott Strahammer
: 6' 3"; Senior
: GK

#6 Jacob Ward
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

#10 Stephen Hawk
: 5' 10"; Junior
: MF

#20 Jordan Jones
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F