AZUSA, CALIF - Azusa Pacific men's soccer earned a 5-1 victory under the lights in Azusa this evening. The Cougars five goals were the most they have scored as a team all year and it improves their overall record over the Sharks to 9-3-2. "Great 90 minutes for us tonight. We're still getting better every game and look to finish the season with some momentum." said head coach Dave Blomquist. Many different Cougars highlighted the attack tonight as Gregoire Diep completed the first hat-trick of his career, Adam Duffy picked up the first goal of his career, Marco Astorga tabbed his second goal of the season and Zac Ingalls and Luis Solis combined for three assists. 

It didn't take long for the Cougars to capitalize on their attack in the opening minutes. A through ball sent to Ingalls created an opportunity for him to find a back pass that went through the legs of Elisha Burbridge to set up Gregoire Diep perfectly to find the back of the net, taking a 1-0 advantage.

The Cougars press down field continued and in the 20th minute, they found two back-to-back corners, but a shot from Joseph Macpherson was blocked by a Hawaii Pacific player when the Sharks goalkeeper was out of position. Hawaii Pacific found their momentum off the defense to set up their attack down field that led to a corner kick. The incoming corner led to a shot that was originally blocked by the Cougars, but the ball was not fully cleared from the box, setting up the Sharks to collect the equalizer in the 21st.

The Cougars came within inches of taking the lead in the 30th when Astorga's laser shot went off the crossbar. Azusa Pacific's aggressive attack continued when Jessie Echeverria drew a foul in the box for the Cougars to set up a penalty kick opportunity. Azusa Pacific's leading goal scorer in Diep set up on the line and put away his second goal of the game to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage in the first 45. 

It did not take long into the second half for Diep to collect his third goal of the game to give the Cougars a 3-1 advantage, earning himself a hat-trick. "Grego is an unbelievable captain and player on and off the field." said Blomquist. "To play the way he played tonight and score three goals is really remarkable." Nine minutes later, Ingalls picked up his second assist of the game when he set up a perfect cross for Astorga to find the back of the net, tabbing his 2nd goal of the season and giving the Cougars a 4-1 lead. The Sharks had a daring opportunity in the 67th, but Leo Moreno came up with a great save to keep the Cougars advantage at three. 

Late in the game, the Cougars capitalized yet again on a corner kick, this time by way of Duffy finding the net to put the Cougars up 5-1. "Great to see Duffy get a goal for someone who is 'team first' all the way." said Blomquist. "He cares about his teammates and works really hard every day." Blomquist continued. There weren't many more opportunities for the Sharks the rest of the match as Azusa Pacific's backline, with the help of center backs Fritz Oestreicher and Macpherson kept Hawaii Pacific at bay. After 90 minutes of play, the game closed in a 5-1 victory favoring the Cougars. 

By the Numbers: The Cougars collected 19 shots with 12 on goal compared to the Sharks one. Dieps hat-trick improves him to eight goals on the season, which is a career-high and ties for third in the PacWest. Solis' assist improves him to a team-high five on the season, and Ingalls two assists were his first of the season and fifth of his career. As a team, the Cougars have 16 goals and 12 assists on the season thus far. 

Up Next: The Cougars will have their final home game of the season at the Cougar Soccer Complex and Senior Night this Saturday October 29th. The program will be recognizing the nine seniors they have graduating before the 7:30 p.m. kick off against Hawai'i Hilo. If you cannot attend, you can watch the game for free HERE.