HILO, Hawai'i — Azusa Pacific men's soccer extended its undefeated streak in conference action to 23 straight victories after a 1-0 win over Hawaii Hilo Wednesday afternoon. The game's lone goal came in the 30th minute by senior forward David Kwinn who is now tied for the team-lead with three goals so far this season, it was his second game-winning goal of the 2021 campaign.

"Today was a great win under tough conditions," head coach Dave Blomquist said, "(Hawaii) Hilo presented some problems and I think the guys responded very well."

How it Happened: The Cougars started the game fast as they dominated the pace of play from the opening whistle. Azusa Pacific's first chance came from a Kwinn shot from long distance that missed the cage but they continued to apply pressure eventually forcing a save in the 14th minute off of a Jonah Peck shot on target. 

After a pair of chances from James Ndubueze missed high in the 15th and 17th minutes, the Cougars began to settle into the game. That's when the offense struck via Kwinn's goal that found the back of the net in the 30th minute. David Medeiros sent a left-footed cross into a dangerous area inside the box around the penalty spot where Kwinn's left-footed volley found the top corner for the game's only goal.

"We created some chances early," Blomquist said, "And David (Kwinn) was able to score a really nice goal."

The Cougars dominated the first half, outshooting the Vulcans 9-1 and all but shut down any offensive chances that Hilo had. Goalkeeper Brendan Fix made his only save in the first half despite the Vulcans outshooting the Cougars 4-3 in the second 45 minutes.

The Vulcans made a valiant effort in the second half but were not able to even test Fix with a shot on goal as he completed his third clean sheet of the season in his fifth start. Three of the four Azusa Pacific starting defenseman, Peck, Joseph Macpherson, and Orlando Lozano, played a full 90 minutes in the shutout.

"Our defense controlled the play in the second half," Blomquist said, "And didn't give them too many chances."

Meanwhile captain James Ndubueze saw 83 minutes of action and freshman Marco Astorga played a season-high 80 minutes and recorded a shot on goal.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will look to extend its PacWest streak versus Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday, October 2nd. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. (Hawai'i Standard Time) or 6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). You can watch the game by clicking here, or follow along the live stats here.