AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific women's soccer defeated Dominican 1-0 Saturday afternoon to record its second PacWest win of the week. The Cougars lone goal was scored by forward Bethany Tee in the 31st minute while the defense recorded their sixth clean sheet of the season. 

With the win, Azusa Pacific moved into a tie for second place in the PacWest with Hawai'i Hilo as both teams have 12 points and are three behind undefeated Point Loma. The Cougars will look to continue their two-game win streak at home against the Urban Knights of Academy of Art on Monday, October 25th.

How it Happened: Before the Cougars broke through in the second half, they were denied by the woodwork on multiple occasions. In the 7th minute, Mackenzie Coleman hit the crossbar off of a corner kick. Coleman also had a shot that was saved in the 14th minute, one of three saves for the Penguins goalkeeper in the first 45 minutes. Tee also had an effort from long range find the crossbar that was inches away from the game's first goal in the 26th minute.

Finally in the 31st minute, Amy Bishop played a ball that found Maddy Morrison over the top of the defense. Morrison beat two defenders to the touchline before centering it for Tee who beat the goalkeeper to the near post for her 3rd goal of the season. 

The Cougars recorded two more shots in the first half but neither were on target, while Dominican came close to tying the game just before the break as Abbie Gould's effort found the left post and stayed out.

A hard fought second half from both sides would see the game come down to the wire. After the Cougars applied pressure early in the half with shots from Brooke Bern, Tee, and Makenzie Jerome they seemed to be in control of the match and striving to get a second goal. Bern recorded a trio of long range shots in the second half that tested the Dominican goalkeeper each time but Nicole Maler was up to the task. 

The Cougars outshot the Penguins 6-1 in the first 30 minutes of the second half before Dominican had a few shots find the woodwork in the final 15 minutes but Maddie Williams kept the clean sheet, resulting in the 1-0 victory for Azusa Pacific.


By the Numbers: Jerome and Bern each recorded their first collegiate starts today while a trio of Cougar defenders played all 90 minutes in the clean sheet (Coleman, Gianna Ocello, and Morgan Hall). Morrison recorded her fourth assist of the season which ties her for the team lead with Tee. Randi Macadangdang, Morrison, and Tee have combined for 36 of the team's 66 points so far this season.




Up Next: The Cougars will host Academy of Art at the Cougar Soccer Complex on Monday, October 25th. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m.