AZUSA, Calif. -- History tends to repeat itself, at least when the GSAC's premier women's soccer programs meet up.

For the third straight meeting between California Baptist and Azusa Pacific, ranked third and fourth respectively in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Cougars rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit for a victory over the Lancers, who were ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for 5 straight weeks earlier this season. Senior forward Theresa Broad provided the game-winner, just as she did in Azusa Pacific's last 2 wins over California Baptist.

The Lancers scored midway through the opening half on Fabiola Zanella da Silva's 24th-minute penalty kick that was awarded for a foul in the penalty box. Azusa Pacific managed just 2 shots on goal in the opening period, and the Cougars trailed at the half for just the third time this season.

"I thought the penalty kick was a pretty bad call, but we didn't panic," Cougar head coach Jason Surrell said. "We've been down 1-0 before. The midfield settled down really well in the second half and did a nice job."

Both of Azusa Pacific's defeats this season came when the Cougars trailed at halftime, but freshman forward Natalie Sun evened the game at 1-1 just 7 minutes into the second half. Broad took an initial shot that required a quick reaction from Lancers goalkeeper Emily Evanson for the save. The ball made its way through a crowd of players from both teams in front of the goal, and Sun knocked it home from 4 yards out to even things up in the 52nd minute.

Evanson stopped Azusa Pacific's next 4 shots on goal over the next 20 minutes, knocking down a low drive from Brittany Lane on a Cougar counterattack after freshman defender Rachael Harding cleared a California Baptist corner kick in the 62nd minute. The Lancers fired right back, with freshman goalkeeper Michelle Wieland just touching a dangerous 22-yard strike from Jacquelyn Witz over the crossbar in the 64th minute. The Cougar defense had trouble clearing the ensuing corner kick, and Lancers forward Lizzy Bendrick drilled the crossbar from 16 yards out before Azusa Pacific could clear the ball from danger.

However, another deflection deep in California Baptist territory was too dangerous an opportunity to give to Broad, who settled the ball and knocked it in from 9 yards out for the game-winner. Evanson made another spectacular stop on a 79th-minute shot from Broad, who took another chance on the rebound that was blocked by another defender. In the 83rd minute, Broad initiated a right-to-left connection from junior midfielder Kelsey Walker to senior midfielder Lauren Lane, whose shot from the left side hit the crossbar.

"We probably should have had a few more (goals), but we're definitely happy to take the win," Surrell said. "We've got big expectations for this team this season, and we're moving in the right direction."

In all, Azusa Pacific put 10 shots on goal in the second half and finished the game with a 21-12 advantage in total shots. Evanson tallied a game-high 9 saves for the Lancers, and her counterpart in the Cougar goal, Wieland, registered a pair of saves to preserve the win.

With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 12-2 overall and 7-0 in GSAC play heading into Wednesday's 3:30 p.m. matchup with 7-time GSAC champion and 5-time NAIA champion Westmont. California Baptist drops to 11-3-1 overall and 4-3 in GSAC play.

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