The Cougars entered the match against third-ranked UC San Diego as an underdog, but confident. Azusa Pacific twice answered the call to action, but an 85^th minute penalty kick was the final blow that the Cougars could not come back from as they fell 3-2 to the Tritons.

UC San Diego started the match on fire, finding the back of the net in just the third minute.

"I was very disappointed in the way that we started the half. We came out allowed them to put the ball in the back of the net early," said head coach Brooke Lincoln.

However, the Cougars responded, finding their way into the match. Jordan Hill found the back of the net for her first career goal at Azusa Pacific to tie the match at 1-1.

"I am proud of the way in which our girls responded. We got down early against the third-ranked team in the country, and they responded," said Lincoln. "So that is for sure something to build on and something that I am proud of for them."

The second half brought more back and forth action, accentuating the battle in the midfield. Sophia Bruno broke the tie in the 65^th minute for UCSD, getting on the end of a pass from Michelle Baddour and slotting the ball past the APU keeper. However, the Cougars would not go away, as Randi Macadangdang connected with
freshman Bethany Tee to tie the match again, this time at 2-2.

"That is what recruiting is all about," said Lincoln. "You have a player that comes in and you think they can make an impact right away and you know that you will have them for a while. Those two girls scored their first goals of their careers tonight. Bethany is a freshman and Jordan is a junior who transitioned from a center back to a center forward. I think we are moving in the right direction as a program."

The Cougars looked ready for another overtime match, but a foul was called on Azusa Pacific inside the box, and UCSD's Natalie Saddic finished off the penalty kick for the 3-2 victory in the 85^th minute.

"If you look at the stats, it was an even game tonight and I feel like we even outplayed UCSD in a lot of ways," said Lincoln. "You've got to give them a lot of credit, they are very talented and they were able to make some adjustments in the midfield that we weren't able to make. My hope is that this match gives them a little bit of belief after a hard year last year. But there is obviously a lot of disappointment."

Following the loss, the Cougars drop to 2-1 and will travel to Chico State on Thursday, September 19. PacWest play begins on October 3 when the Cougars travel to San Francisco to take on Academy of Art.