AZUSA, CALIF - Azusa Pacific and Biola faced off Wednesday evening at the Cougars Soccer Complex and after 90 enthralling minutes, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. A game that brought intense moments for both sides, a 10-man sided Azusa Pacific team held out in the closing minutes to escape defeat. The Biola Eagles previously beat the Cougars in a non conference matchup earlier in the season 0-3, and revenge was on the table for Azusa Pacific as the Eagles hadn't lost a game in their last eight matches. 

How It Happened: It was a tale of two halves in the rivalry matchup. The Cougars looked sharp in the first half and retained possession for 58% of the time, while providing 10 total shots and three on target. There were plenty of fouls and 50-50 balls in the first half and the game felt true to the rivalry matchup. Both sides played hard in the first 30 minutes and captain Gregoire Diep came close to scoring when his free-kick grazed the crossbar. It was in the 33' minute when a cross was met by Cougars defender Fritz Oestreicher. The initial shot was blocked and his partner in the center half of defense, Joseph Macpherson was there to put away the goal and get the Cougars out in front in the first half. 

The Cougars defense stood strong and closed out the remaining half unscathed. There were a total of 14 fouls and four yellow cards in the first half, three from Azusa Pacific and one to an Eagle. 

When the second half kicked off, the momentum shifted to the away team. The Eagles wasted no time in tying things up after the break and after just two and a half minutes, Biola found the equalizer. The Cougars had to play the rest of the second half primarily in their own half, only putting up two shots in the final 45 and the Eagles tried everything to get the winner with ten total shots. In the 73rd minute, Shane Eaton was shown his second yellow in the game and was subsequently sent off for a foul in the Eagles box. 

Azusa Pacific had to face more adversity when Oestreicher fouled an attacking Eagle in the box in the final 10 minutes and the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick. Moreno dove to his left to save the shot, keeping the game tied at one a-piece in what was a huge moment for the Cougars. 

In a match that saw both teams fighting it out until the final seconds, Azusa Pacific was able to escape the final efforts from their rivals and secure the tie. The draw moves Azusa Pacific's all-time record over the Eagles to 35-18-6. 

Quotable: "I definitely knew it was going to be a very tight game." said head coach Dave Blomquist. "The guys were ready for tonight and the desire and heart was there all the way to the end." Blomquist continued, "The guys gave it everything that they had and in terms of heart, determination and togetherness, it was all there tonight."

Up Next: The Cougars now are 1-2-2 in PacWest play and continue their homestand this Saturday at the Cougar Soccer Complex against Chaminade. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. and if you cannot attend, you can watch it for free HERE.