AZUSA, Calif. -- After Tuesday's 1-0 overtime win over Cal Poly Pomona, this one was much needed.
The NAIA's No. 2-ranked Azusa Pacific dominated the entire field Saturday and cruised to a 5-0 non-conference win over a tired and depleted Grand Canyon (Ariz.) on Azusa Square.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 4-0 on the season. It is the first time the Cougars have started a season with 4 straight wins since the Cougars' 1998 NAIA championship season. Grand Canyon drops to 0-6.
The Antelopes, an NCAA Division II independent from Phoenix, Ariz., were just 16 hours removed from a 4-0 loss at UC San Diego last night. That plus a 2-hour drive from San Diego to Azusa and a rather hot September afternoon with the 1:30 p.m. start time proved to be too much for the Antelopes.
Shannon Coe put the Cougars on the board just 3 minutes into the action. Taryn Caylor fed a streaking Erin Arbizu with a nice ball down the sideline. Arbizu served it into the box where Coe collected it and passed the ball into a wide open net for a 1-0 Cougar lead and a sign of things to come.
The Cougars out-shot Grand Canyon, 22-0, including firing 15 shots on the 'Lopes' goal. Eight minutes after Coe's opener, she returned the favor to Arbizu. The duo hooked up again with a pretty give-and-go about 30 yards away from the net. Arbizu took a perfect pass from Coe, one-touched it on the right side and lofted a perfect touch-shot over the keeper's head and into the far post net to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead, which they carried into the intermission.
Just 6 minutes out of halftime, Jolie Nitta tallied her third goal of the year, and 10 minutes after that Coe connected on her second of the game and fourth of the season.
All-American Stephanie Bays rounded out the scoring in the 78th minute off an assist from Stephanie Weber.
Tiffany Mitchell and Jill Colfer combined in goal to post the Cougars' fourth straight shutout. Neither one needed to make a save. Last season, the Cougars started the year with 6 straight zeros.
Today's win sets up a colossal showdown next week with what should be the best soccer match-up the NAIA has to offer. The Cougars host No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Lindsey-Wilson (Ky.) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Cougar Stadium in a match-up of the NAIA's Top 2 teams.
