AZUSA, Calif. -- Despite grabbing an early goal, the Cougars had to battle through to the end of the match to find a winner in the 89th minute for a 2-1 win over Chaminade. Azusa Pacific has been no stranger to close games this season as eight of their 14 matches have been decided by one goal or ended in a draw. In those games, the Cougars are 3-3-2.
Emmy Koflanovich found the back of the net in the seventh minute, collecting a pass from center back
Mackenzie Coleman inside the 18-yard box and slotting the ball past the keeper with the outside of her right boot.
"Mac (Coleman) did a great job of driving out of the back, which she has gotten pretty used to doing," said head coach
Brooke Lincoln. "I think one of the ways that she has grown this year is being able to see the gaps in behind their backline. So as she is driving and a defender commits to her, that then creates some space for Emmy to run through. The through-ball was accurate, it had the right amount of pace on it, and Emmy had a great first touch to put her in front of goal, and Emmy is one of the best finishers we have, so nine times out of ten she is going to finish that play."
The Silverswords struck back quickly, however. Randi Fontes collected a bouncing ball near midfield, turned on the afterburners to beat the Azusa Pacific backline in a foot race to the goal, and found the back of the net to level the match at 1-1 in the 10th minute.
"It just seemed like we came out a little bit flat today, and there was just something that was off," said Lincoln. "That has happened to us a few times this year, and our play has been inconsistent because of that. We just didn't transition quickly enough once we lost the ball, and they have a couple players with some good pace up top. You've got to give them credit, though, because goals are not given in this game, you have to go out and earn them."
At halftime, the Cougars were only out-shooting Chaminade 8-5 with half of their shots on goal, but had nearly 70 percent of the possession at that point.
"A lot of the halftime talk was just us explaining to each other what we saw, where the holes were, and where to attack. We knew the second goal was coming, it was just a matter of time," said
Isabelle Decker.
The second half, though, was all Azusa Pacific. The Cougars shot seven times in the second half and allowed none from Chaminade.
"As a goalkeeper, I love when the ball is down with our forwards and they're attacking," said Decker. "It does make it a little tricky, though, because the backline and I have to stay switched on because there can always be weird little instances that happen. At the same time, I was proud that our girls didn't force anything and just take shots to take shots. The patience was there, which was good, but obviously we were hoping for a little bit more."
In the dying minutes of the second half, Azusa Pacific pushed for the game-winner and finally got it in the 89th minute. After a couple set pieces were half-cleared,
Kayla Grisham collected the ball about 25 yards away from goal and unleashed a wicked half-volley which slammed off the crossbar and down across the goal line for the go-ahead goal.
Up next on the Cougars' schedule is Cornerstone Cup rivals Biola. The match will take place on Tuesday, November 5 at 5:30 pm and it is the final home match for this Azusa Pacific squad.
"First of all, we are really excited to honor our seniors," said Lincoln. "This is a group that has been with me for two years now and they've put in a lot of hard work and buy-in. So a lot of the day will just be an opportunity for them. Along with that, it is the rivalry game against Biola as well. It is an opportunity for us to earn some Cornerstone Cup points, but we are going to have to be a lot better on Tuesday than we were today to give ourselves a chance. Biola is a very good team, and we are excited about the challenge."
Following the match against Biola, Azusa Pacific will finish out the remainder of the regular season on the road, with trips to Fresno Pacific, Notre Dame de Namur, and Dominican.
