AZUSA, Calif. -- The Azusa Pacific soccer team saw its season come to a close Saturday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex, falling 3-2 to West Texas A&M in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division II men's soccer tournament.

How it Happened:  The Cougars saw their opponents take advantage of a pair of costly giveaways in the first half.  In the 22nd minute, a pass in the defensive third was poked away by a sliding Buffalo tackle.  The ball rolled forward to their leading scorer, Giancarlo Saldana, who fired a slow blast from 25 yards out that glanced off the left post on its way in for his 10th goal of the season, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.  The home team would answer just over 10 minutes later, as Daniel Osei-tutu was taken down just inside the box on the right wing.  Gregoire Diep calmly stepped up and beat the keeper to the bottom left corner to level the scores.

Just over four minutes before halftime, the Buffaloes would again take advantage of a sloppy pass in the back, this time earning a corner kick that would be bent in over the outstretched arms of Leo Moreno to give the Buffaloes a lead they would not relinquish.  The lead would be doubled by Saldana just three minutes into the second half, taking a chip over the Cougars back line and tucking it into the bottom right corner to make the score 3-1.

The Cougars would scratch their way back into the game, peppering the West Texas A&M goal with 21 shots overall and putting seven of them on target in the second half.  With 21 minutes remaining, James Ndubueze pulled a goal back, knocking home a cross from Zac Ingalls in the middle of the six-yard box to pull the Cougars within one.  Azusa Pacific would continue to press forward looking for an equalizer, but West Texas' defense proved able to the task and held on for the victory.

Inside the Numbers:  The Cougars outshot the Buffaloes 21-7 for the game, and had a 9-3 edge in shots on goal.  Diep and Ndubueze finish the season tied with David Kwinn for the Cougars' scoring lead with seven goals each.  Kwinn and Diep each had three shots on goal in the game.  Ndubueze's goal was the 35th of his career, the most of any Cougar in the NCAA era (2012-present).  This is the fifth NCAA tournament game the Cougars have played in their history, all of which have come at home and all of which have been decided by a single goal.  

Up Next:  West Texas A&M advances to the third round, where they will face the winner of Sunday's contest between Cal Poly Pomona and Midwestern State.  The Cougars' 2021 campaign ends with a record of 12-3-2, having won the Pacific West Conference and reaching at least the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season.