Azusa Pacific secured its second PacWest victory on Saturday, beating Hawaii Pacific 5-2 in front of a lively Homecoming crowd.

"I have literally been waiting for this game," junior forward Maddy Morrison said after the match. "I knew we just needed one game to get out of our rut. Just one game and our confidence would be back, and hopefully we can keep that going through to the next match."

From the beginning, it was clear that the Cougars were going to come away with a majority of the possession yet again. However, today that possession translated into goals for the home side.

"I'm really proud of our players," head coach Brooke Lincoln said. "I think the first half was probably the best 45 minutes we have put together this year. We have been struggling in the attack for the last five games, and our girls stepped up today. They took training and game preparation very seriously this week and I am proud of the effort that they put into this match."

Maddy Morrison got the scoring started in the 25th minute, cleaning up a saved shot from Jordan Hill in front of goal. Abi Hume finished off a cross from Kaylee Nicoll in the 43rd minute to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the first half.

"I think we've had a little bit of a rough patch," said Morrison, "we just changed our mindset to 'OK let's just go out there and have fun."

The beginning of the second half brought a lot of excitement, as both teams combined for three goals within the first five minutes. Hawaii Pacific's Hunter Malaki put away the Sharks' first goal of the game, cleaning up a corner that was not cleared away properly in the 47th minute. The Cougars would respond though, as Morrison bagged her second of the game in the 49th minute through some great buildup play and a clever pass from Hill. Jordan Hill then set up Randi Macadangdang for what was her first goal of the match to give the Cougars a 4-1 lead.

"Everyone just worked together well," said Hill. "Our defense was doing what they needed to do, as did the midfield and offense. We were 11 players just working together well, playing off of each other and being options."

The Sharks pulled one back after Emily Lemus played Nina Gonzales through the back line to make the score 4-2 in the 66th minute. Azusa Pacific was not done, however, as Nicoll found a sprinting Macadangdang behind the defense, who then unselfishly squared a pass to teammate Emmy Koflanovich in the 84th minute for the final goal of the 5-2 decision.

"We knew, even before the season started, just how talented this roster was going to be," said Lincoln. "I think we saw some glimpses of the attacking power that this team has early in the season, but for whatever reason, we got into a little bit of a slump. Goals in this game are hard to come by, but when you're in a little rut like that, they're even harder to get, but you have to keep grinding. But this was no surprise. Our girls are capable of doing this day in and day out."

Now 2-3-0 in PacWest play, the Cougars have three home games in a row over the next two weeks. They will play Hawaii Hilo on Monday, October 28 followed by Chaminade on Saturday, November 2 and Biola on Tuesday, November 5.