Azusa Pacific men's soccer has been ranked as the number one team in NCAA Division II by the United Soccer Coaches Association, which marks the second time that a Cougar athletics program has been ranked in the top spot nationally in the NCAA. In 2018, Azusa Pacific baseball held the number one spot in NCAA Division II for six consecutive weeks, as the Cougars won 16 straight games to start the season and finished the year 41-11.
 
This season, the Cougars are off to a 9-0 start, including 2-0 in the PacWest. Through nine games, Azusa Pacific is outscoring its opponents 27-7, and it has posted four shutout wins and only one game in which an opposing team scored more than one goal. The Cougars are averaging three goals per game, and 16.7 shots per game. Opponents are averaging 0.78 goals per game and just 6.3 shots per game.
 
Junior James Ndubueze is leading the Cougars with nine goals, while junior David Kwinn has scored six goals and senior Arturo Astorga has four goals. Astorga leads the Cougars in assists with five. Defensively, the Cougars have been anchored by sophomore Isaac Bawa, who has played the most minutes for Azusa Pacific this year with 815 total minutes played in nine matches. In goal, junior Brendan Fix has started and played in five matches, notching six saves and posting a 0.60 goals against average, while junior Nathanael Linquist has started and played four matches, tallying eight saves and a 0.99 goals against average.
 
Azusa Pacific is currently at the mid-point of its season, as the Cougars have nine more regular season contests, all against PacWest opponents. Up next for the top-ranked Cougars are the Point Loma Sea Lions, who are 5-3-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the PacWest. The game will be down in San Diego on Saturday, October 12, beginning at 2:00 p.m.