IRVINE, Calif. -- The NAIA's top-ranked Azusa Pacific successfully completed its defense of the Golden State Athletic Conference championship, claiming the title with a 3-0 win over Concordia Thursday afternoon in Irvine. The Cougars have won the conference crown 5 times in the past 7 seasons, and they finished the season with 4 straight shutout wins and scored 3 or more goals in each of the final 6 games.
"I think most people will agree that our conference is the toughest in the nation," said Cougar head coach Jason Surrell. "To be able to win this conference again this year is quite an accomplishment for us. Now the task is winning the regional playoff, getting to nationals and seeing what we can do there."
Senior Jolie Nitta drilled a free kick to the top right corner from 20 yards out to give Azusa Pacific a 1-0 lead with less than 5 minutes to play in the first half.
Less than a minute into the second half, freshman Theresa Broad won a challenge for a long ball from senior Mandy Heins, beating the Concordia goalkeeper to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead on the first of 10 Azusa Pacific shots in the second half.
Broad added another goal, her 13th in 10 games of conference play, on a through ball from junior Randie Massro in the 55th minute, and the Cougar attack kept up the pressure with 7 more shots in the second half. Azusa Pacific out-shot Concordia, 14-3, and held the Eagles without shot attempt after halftime. Broad and sophomore Bridget Brotherton nearly added more goals, as each hit the post in the second half.
"Theresa takes a lot of pressure off other players," said Surrell. "All of our forwards have learned to play well together, and they all have something to do with her scoring success. Bridget did a great job feeding her the ball, and Theresa has done well with finishing off her chances."
Cougar goalkeeper Jill Colfer made 2 saves while posting her fourth straight shutout and ninth of the season. Colfer's career total now stands at 30, just 7 shy of the program-record 37 shutouts posted by Melissa Strother from 2000-03.
With the win, Azusa Pacific wraps up the regular season at 15-1 overall, 9-1 in GSAC, while Concordia heads into its regular-season finale at Fresno Pacific Saturday afternoon with a record of 9-6-2 overall, 5-3-1 in GSAC play. The Cougars will host a first-round game in the NAIA Region II playoffs at 1 p.m. on Tue., Oct. 31. The full regional playoff schedule and participants will be announced Sun., Oct. 29.
