AZUSA, Calif. -- Back-to-back goals less than a minute apart in the first half seemed to suck the life out of the NAIA's No. 16-ranked Vanguard on a sweltering day at Azusa Square, and No. 1-ranked Azusa Pacific tacked on 2 more in the first half as it clinched its third straight NAIA Region II Championship with a 4-0 win over the Lions. The Cougars claim the region's automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament next week in Olathe, Kan., their ninth straight trip to the national stage.
"A lot of people agree that we play in the toughest region in the NAIA," said Cougar head coach Jason Surrell, whose squad outscored 3 playoff opponents 13-1 in the only NAIA region with 3 teams ranked in the top 11 of the NAIA final poll. "What we have done in the playoffs has been pretty spectacular. In my opinion, all this scoring is a bit unusual."
After 22 minutes of inconsistent possession by both teams at both ends of the field, All-GSAC freshman Theresa Broad passed out of a pair of trapping Vanguard defenders in the left corner to sophomore Sarah Yoro. Yoro sent it in front of goal to All-GSAC senior Jolie Nitta, who buried the shot to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Less than a minute later, All-GSAC junior Randie Massro played in to Yoro, who dribbled up the end line, weaving through defenders, before finding the back of the net to give Azusa Pacific a 2-0 lead.
"Winning the region has been really fun, but we are looking forward to Kansas," said Broad. "It's a whole different level out there, and it feels like our hard work all year is now starting to pay off. We are still fit, and it feels like we are getting close to peaking."
In the 37th minute, senior defender Mandy Heins played long to Broad, and the freshman forward broke through a pair of defenders to push the lead to 3-0. Broad added another goal with an assist from 2006 GSAC Player of the Year Julie Fletcher with less than 2 minutes to play in the opening half, giving her 17 goals over the past 9 games.
Broad ran her season goal total to 23 goals, tying the second-highest single-season mark in program history, just 3 shy of the program record of 26 goals set in 2001 by Chrissy Sanford. Broad's 2-goal game was her fourth straight multiple-goal game and her eighth of the season, and she has scored or assisted goals in 9 straight contests.
"Theresa is a special kid, because her work rate combined with her athleticism is something unique," said Surrell, the 2006 GSAC Coach of the Year. "She would be the first to admit she's not a natural forward, but her athleticism takes her to that next level."
The Cougars enjoyed an 18-7 shots advantage, and junior All-GSAC goalkeeper Jill Colfer tipped a free kick from Stacia Hoover just over the crossbar in the 78th minute for 1 of her 4 saves and preserving her 11th shutout of the season.
"Early in the season, our forwards weren't connecting very much," said Broad, who also has 6 assists for a Cougar attack that has registered 59 goals so far this season, its highest goal output since a 2001 campaign that netted 72 goals. "Throughout the season, that's all we've worked on, and now we feel like we know each other and can put each other in a better position to score."
With the win, Azusa Pacific extended its home unbeaten streak to 24 games and improved to 18-1 on the season. The Cougars have won each of their last 9 games by a margin of at least 3 goals, shutting out 6 of the 9 opponents. Azusa Pacific has out-scored its last 10 opponents by a combined 36-3 margin. Vanguard, which tied its program record for wins this season and was playing in its first-ever NAIA Region II championship game, drops to 13-5-2.
Azusa Pacific is 1 of 13 teams qualified so far to the 23rd Annual NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship, held Nov. 15-21, at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe, Kan. Full tournament information is listed below.
Format: Seeded, 20-Team, Single Elimination
Qualification: The 13 regional champions automatically qualify. The host institution (Park University) will receive an automatic bid should they not win their region. At-large teams will be selected based on a combination of national rankings and the NAIA longo rating system to round out the field of 20.
NAIA Regional Tournament Championships
Region I – Concordia (Ore.) tied Carroll, 1-1 (Concordia advances, 3-2 PK)
Region II – Azusa Pacific 4, Vanguard 0
Region III – Morningside (Iowa) 1, Midland Lutheran (Neb.) 0
Region IV – Park (Mo.) 3, Kansas Wesleyan 1
Region V – McKendree (Ill.) tied Graceland (Iowa), 1-1 (McKendree advances, 4-3 PK)
Region VI – Southwest (N.M.) def. Oklahoma Christian, 1-0
Region VII – St. Xavier (Ill.) 1, Trinity Christian (Ill.) 0
Region VIII – Siena Heights (Mich.) 1, Spring Arbor (Mich.) 0
Region IX/X – Tiffin (Ohio) 1, Houghton (N.Y.) 0
Region XI – Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 3, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 0
Region XII – Virginia Intermont 1, King (Tenn.) 0
Region XIII – Lee (Tenn.) 6, Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) 0
Region XIV – Northwood (Fla.) 2, Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) 1
Once all regional tournaments have concluded, the NAIA will release the final bracket and seedings for the 2006 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship.
Thirteen teams have qualified for the 20-team NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship field. All regional champions have been crowned and awarded automatic berths, and the win by Park (Mo.), the host institution for the national tournament, in the Region IV championship, opens up a seventh at-large bid. The current tournament field includes the following teams (overall record and final ranking in NAIA Coaches Poll in parentheses):
Azusa Pacific (18-1, #1)
Concordia (Ore.) (18-1-2, #3)
Lee (Tenn.) (18-3, #6)
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (20-2, #2)
McKendree (Ill.) (16-3-1, #14)
Morningside (Iowa) (15-4-1, NR)
Northwood (Fla.) (16-0, #17)
Park (Mo.) (15-4, #25)
St. Xavier (Ill.) (19-3, #8)
Siena Heights (Mich.) (15-6-1, #23)
Southwest (N.M.) (17-2, NR)
Tiffin (Ohio) (16-3-2, NR)
Virginia Intermont (15-7, NR)
