FRESNO, Calif. – A back-and-forth contest for all 32 minutes.
In a game with a handful of momentum swings, the Cougars came out on top with a 9-8 win against No. 25 Fresno State on an overcast late Friday in the Central Valley.
In the process the Cougars start Golden Coast Conference play with a win while knocking off their second top 25 opponent this season. Heading into Saturday's league game with No. 8 Pacific, the Cougars are 12-9 overall.
Azusa Pacific came off the game's first sprint with quite the offensive statement. Annalise Batcheller scored 25 seconds into the contest followed by a Britt Harris power play goal just over a minute later. The Cougars added to their edge when Sarah Adams scored a five-meter penalty shot with 3:28 left in the frame.
However, the team rounded out the high scoring opening period with three of the next four goals. Fresno State continued to chip away at their early deficit in the second quarter. After neither team score for nearly seven minutes, the Bulldogs scored twice in a 50 second span to take a 5-4 edge. Azusa Pacific got a critical goal from Britni Tisdale with five ticks left until intermission.
Knotted at 5-5, the game of scoring streaks continued. Azusa Pacific scored all three goals in the third quarter in taking a seemingly comfortable 8-5 lead. Miereia Tutusaus Alcaraz scored with 6:18 and 3:11 remaining respectively then Batcheller found the back of the cage off a Gabriel Martinez assist.
Fresno State started the last stanza with a net-finder 6:18 into the period. Tisdale scored her second goal of the game, and the Cougars last, on the extra-person attack with 4:24 remaining
Late in the game the home team made things quite interesting. Fresno Pacific scored a pair of five-meter penalty goals just over one minute part to make the score 9-8 with 1:54 left. They were able to get one more shot on goal off in the closing second but Erica Marquez was up to the challenge with the save to clinch the game.
Azusa Pacific held a 31-27 edge in overall shots and scored on half of their power play opportunities to aid in the win. The combination of Tisdale and Arianne Yeo won all four of the sprints.
Marquez recorded the win in front of the cage by making 11 saves. She also had a team best three steals.
