SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific went on the road and defeated Point Loma, 3-0, in the Cougars' final nonconference matchup of the season Saturday afternoon.

Up to this point of the season, the bulk of Azusa Pacific's scoring has come in the second half of contests, with 21 of the Cougars' 27 goals through the first nine games coming after halftime. However, on Saturday, the Cougars flipped the script by taking a two-goal lead less than three minutes into the match.
 
With a mere 2:02 off of the clock, Pablo Cruz sent a long ball forward for freshman Gregoire Diep, who finished it off for the game's first score and his third on the season. Just 55 seconds later, junior midfielder Arturo Astorga scored his sixth goal of the season to extend the lead to 2-0, with freshman midfielder Gabriel Costa helping set up the goal with his seventh assist of the year.

Azusa Pacific earned a penalty kick In the 19^th minute, and the Cougars' leading scorer Costa found the back of the net for his 10^th goal of the season to push the lead to 3-0 within the first 20 minutes of the opening half.

The Cougars produced a decisive 17-3 edge in shots, including a 9-1 margin in the first half. None of Point Loma's three shots were on goal, as sophomore goalkeeper Brendan Fix recorded his first shutout of the season.
 
The victory was the fifth in a row for Azusa Pacific, which improves to 8-1-1 overall. The Cougars return home for a pair of PacWest games next week against Dominican on Thursday, October 11 at 5:00 p.m. and Holy Names on Saturday, October 13 at 2:30 p.m.

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