OLATHE, Kan. -- For just the second time since winning the program’s first-ever NAIA title in 1998, the NAIA’s top-seeded Azusa Pacific will play for its second championship after the Cougars posted a 3-1 victory over No. 5-seeded Concordia (Ore.) Monday afternoon in the first semifinal at the 2006 NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship.

With the score knotted at 1-1 with less than 10 minutes in the game, sophomore Karen Lawrence curled the Cougars’ 10th corner kick of the game towards the goal, where the Concordia goalkeeper tipped it up and backwards into the top netting of the goal before carrying it back out of the goal, giving Lawrence her second goal of the year for a 2-1 Azusa Pacific lead in the 82nd minute.

“I thought the way we came back after the game was tied was a big moment,” said Cougar head coach Jason Surrell. “We didn’t seem to panic, and we didn’t change the way we were playing. We had a lot of opportunities to that point, but the girls stuck with it. Mentally, this team has been thrown in just about every situation at some level this year. The leadership on this team has experienced letdown at previous tournaments, and they keep themselves going.”

Senior Jolie Nitta put the game out of reach with just under 5 minutes to play, driving a free kick from almost 25 yards out just under the crossbar to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.

“We practice our free kicks a lot, and from about 18-20 yards out, you usually shoot,” said Nitta. “There was a similar shot yesterday that I missed, and I thought, ‘I have to make this one because I got a second chance.’ ”

Azusa Pacific got on the board in the 37th minute, when Lawrence’s corner kick was knocked wide of the goal. Nitta saved it off the end line and touched it back to the left side of the penalty box for sophomore Sara Odenthal, who crossed it in front of the goal. Sophomore Bridget Brotherton rose above the Concordia defense for the header to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead which it took into the half.

“(My goal) was memorable because it’s at nationals, and this is what we’ve all been working for,” said Brotherton. “Deep down we have confidence in each other. The people who played for Fletcher stepped up. We seem to find a way to step it up in times of trouble.”

Concordia tied the game in the 64th minute when a Cougar defense missing seniors Julie Fletcher and Mandy Heins was caught out of position. Justine Pronovost turned her defender and took advantage of the opening to bury the shot and tie the game at 1-1. Fletcher, the 2006 GSAC Player of the Year, did not play after suffering an injury in first half of the Cougars’ 1-0 quarterfinal win over Westmont, and Heins, who started the game, had been replaced by a substitute in the first half but would later return to the field midway through the second half.

Lawrence, senior Randie Massro and sophomore Lauren Vroom helped fill the void in the Cougar defense, helping limit the Cavaliers to just 7 shots in the game. Junior goalkeeper Jill Colfer made 4 saves to limit Concordia to the single goal, the 17th consecutive game in which Azusa Pacific has held its opponent to 1 goal or less. The Cougars had gone 9 straight games without giving up a goal during the run of play, surrendering the only goal during the streak to Westmont on a penalty kick in the semifinals of the NAIA Region II Playoffs.

“I thought we defended really well,” said Surrell. “When you teach your back four, you have a handful of kids in mind for that role, and you hope the ones that aren’t always playing back there are ready to go when you need them.”

The Cougars will face No. 2-seeded Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in Tuesday’s championship game, a rematch of Azusa Pacific’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Blue Raiders in Cleveland, Tenn., Sept. 23. Lindsey Wilson eliminated No. 3 seed and defending NAIA champion Martin Methodist (Tenn.) with a pair of second-half goals for a 2-1 win in the other semifinal.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 21-1 on the season, while Concordia wraps up the season at 20-2-2. Live stats for the championship match will be available through the NAIA website at http://naia.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/080906aaa.html.