SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific men's soccer picked up its second overtime win of the season Saturday evening, defeating Cal State San Bernardino 2-1. Gregoire Diep's goal off of a free kick in the 95th minute was the golden goal in the match to help the Cougars improve to 3-1-1 on the season. The Cougars have gone to overtime in three of their first five games to start the season and are 2-0-1 in such games.

How it Happened: After trailing 1-0 through the first 17 minutes, Azusa Pacific responded in the 23rd minute to tie the game. Senior captain and PacWest leading goal scorer from 2019, James Ndubueze, put his first of the season into the back of the net after Daniel Osei-tutu set him up with a nice assist.

"I thought we responded very well as a team to going down a goal today," head coach David Blomquist said, "We kept our composure and showed some great maturity which allowed us to get the equilizer before half."

The Cougars outshot the Coyotes 9-4 in the first half and tallied and number of chances to grab their first lead of the game but the game remained tied 1-1 at halftime.

Cal State San Bernardino turned up the dial on their physicality in the second half as the Cougars drew eight fouls in the second 45 minutes, which was double their first half total. The Coyotes were booked on three separate occasions in the second half while freshman Marco Astorga was the final player to be booked in the 87th minute for either side. The Cougars once again outshot their opponent 5-3 in the second half but only forced the Coyotes goalkeeper to make one save.

With the score tied at the end of regulation, Azusa Pacific started the first overtime period fast. More of the same physicality from Cal State San Bernardino rewarded the Cougars with a free kick in a dangerous area just outside of the 18-yard box. Diep, also a captain, stepped up and ended the game on a low dipping strike that beat the wall and the goalkeeper to the near post for the game-winner.

"Grego (Diep) hit a great free kick to win it and it was an exciting team victory," Blomquist said, "We used a good number of players and showed that we have some real quality in our depth."

The Cougars used seven total players off the bench in the victory and goalkeeper Leo Moreno started for the second time this season, making a pair of saves and playing all 95 minutes. Azusa Pacific improves to 3-1-1 on the season with the 2-1 victory and will look ahead next week when rival Biola comes to town in a nonconference matchup.

Up Next: The Cougars will host Biola in a nonconference match next Tuesday, September 21st as their final game before PacWest play. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer Complex, you can watch live here and follow along with live stats here.