AZUSA, Calif. -- Even though it looked uninspired and lethargic for most of the day, Azusa Pacific still found a way to get the job done.
And when head coach Phil Wolf looks back he'll see that the Cougars not only got the job done, but they did it rather convincingly.
Ferguson Agwu spearheaded the Cougars, who scored 2 goals in each half, to lift the NAIA's No. 7-ranked Cougars to a 4-0 non-conference win over NCAA Division III Pomona-Pitzer in the Cougars' final non-conference game of the season.
The Cougars improve to 6-0-1 on the season, their best 7-game start in program history, and they now have a 12 day layoff before opening GSAC action with a monster of a game against No. 2 Fresno Pacific September 28 in Azusa.
Agwu continued his hot streak with a pair of goals giving him 5 on the season all in the past 3 games. In the seventh minute he received a through ball from Skelly Kellar and found the right corner of the net for a 1-0 Cougar lead.
Last season in their first 7 games, the Cougars scored 17 goals. This season, the Cougars already have 23 goals—10 of them coming in the last 2 games.
Twelve minutes after his fourth goal of the year, Agwu again scored a beauty. Brandon Stirm controlled the ball on the right side and crossed it to a waiting Agwu at the top of the box. Agwu settled the ball and drilled a rocket into the upper back corner of the net.
In the second half, the Cougars scored twice in a 1:30 span. In the 66th minute, Kellar broke free on the right side and rifled a shot that deflected off the far post and to a waiting Kris Van Houten, who tucked it away for his third goal of the year.
Moments later, the Cougars attacked again. David Casarotte collected a loose ball in the box, slid it to Agwu at the top of the box, who then crossed it to a waiting Ian Leibbrandt, who needed to do nothing but pass it into the net to round out the Cougar scoring.
Azusa Pacific outshot the Sagehens, 17-1, including 10-0 on goal. Keepers Julian Cottrell and Morgan Cathey each worked a half with neither needing to make a save to post the Cougars' second shutout of the season.
