SAN DIEGO – The Cougars nearly grabbed their first victory over a top 20 team.
Eighteen ranked San Diego State rallied from an early deficit to post a 9-8 victory over Azusa Pacific on Friday afternoon.
The Cougars offense was opportunistic in nearly pulling off the upset. Azusa Pacific earned three extra-person attack chances and cashed in on each one.
On the defensive side of the pool, Maryann Slama and Ashley Taylor each had five steals. Katie Margot stood tall in front of the cage as the junior made 10 saves for the Cougars.
The win secured at least a tie for regular season Golden Coast Conference title for the Aztecs as they up their record to 14-14 overall and 5-0 in league games. Azusa Pacific moves to 9-14 and 2-3 respectively.
Scoresheet
After the Aztecs scored the first goal, the trio of Courtney Folsom, Megan Myers and Britt Harris scored as the Azusa Pacific grabbed a 3-1 edge. However, the home team scored with just a few ticks left in the first quarter.
During the second eight minutes, the Aztecs book ended the three total goals in the frame. After the home team tied the score at 3-3 less than a minute into the period, Harris scored her second goal of the game to give her team back the lead. A late goal in the stanza tied the score at 4-4 after two periods.
Alba Espinar put the Cougars back in front with the first goal of the third period. However it was their only goal of the quarter. San Diego State tied it back up with 4:22 left in the quarter. The teams went into the final quarter knotted at 5-5.
The home team's offense was clicking early in the fourth period. The Aztecs scored two goals less than a minute into frame. They added to their total with another tally with 5:17 left. Leading by three goals, they seemingly put the game away with their final goal at the 4:37 mark of the period.
Azusa Pacific had one final push left to make things interesting. Espinar scored with 2:36 left to bring her team with three goals. Taylor Whitney scored her first of two goals with 1:48 on the scoreboard. The Cougars weren't able to get another goal until their final possession when Whitney scored with one tick left on the clock.
