HONOLULU, Hawaii – Momentum shifted more often than an undecided voter.
The Cougars battled and lost a see-saw battle against Hawaii Pacific 4-3 in double-overtime on Thursday afternoon. For Azusa Pacific it was their fifth double-session game of the season.
Despite holding a two-goal lead after the first half, Hawaii Pacific proceeded to score three unanswered goals before the Cougars tied the contest late before falling on golden goal. Each teams had opportunities through the physical contest. Hawaii Pacific held an 18-13 edge in overall shots in a game that featured 34 total fouls.
Post Game Interview with head coach Dave Blomquist
It all started quite well for the Cougars. Playing his first game since late September, Caleb Candelaria wasted no time getting involved in the offense. His goal less than four minutes into the game gave the Cougars (6-6-3, 6-4-1 PacWest) an early advantage. For his fourth goal of the season he received a pass from Arturo Astorga in the center of the box before depositing the ball into the back of the cage.
Astorga played a role in giving Azusa Pacific a 2-0 edge. The freshman crossed a pass from the left side to the top of the box where junior Javier Chavez masterfully one-touched the ball into the right side of the net for his first collegiate goal. For Astorga it was his second and third assists of the season respectively.
The Sharks tied the score with a pair of goals less than 10 minutes apart in the second half. Erik Kemsies struck a ball in the 68th minute just outside the box that skimmed along the ground and passed Cougar goalkeeper Tyler Jaramillo. Sven Koening notched the tying goal in the 75th minute with a boot from 20 yards out and into the back of the cage.
Keoning completed the Hawaii Pacific (4-6-4, 4-4-2) rally in the 86th minute. He scored his 16th goal of the season when he received a long pass from Josch Cuerten on the right side before beating Jaramillo with a low strike from 15 yards. However, the Cougars remained pesky. With just over two minutes left Candelaria played a ball into the box where Kaleb Armbrust one-touched the ball into the back of the net.
Just a moment later a major shift happened when Candelaria was issued a red card which forced the Cougars to play a man down. After successfully playing short-handed in the first extra session, Koenig recorded his hat trick with the game winning goal in the 107th minute.
Azusa Pacific concludes their Hawaii road trip with their fourth-game of the endeavor on Saturday against Chaminade.
