AZUSA, CALIF - It was a special night on the pitch as the Azusa Pacific men's soccer program honored nine seniors that have contributed to three PacWest championships, 51 wins and a PacWest-record of 23 consecutive wins in conference play. Gregoire Diep, Adam Duffy, Jessie Echeverria, Marko Fatovic, Pedro Nagib Gomes, Zac Ingalls, Joseph Macpherson, Tim Siegfried and Delverone Simpson have all played a huge part in the programs sucess since 2018. "It's a group that has been through a lot over their careers." said head coach Dave Blomquist. "They've been apart of very good seasons and some of the best teams and seasons that we have had at Azusa Pacific. But beyond that, their leadership and carrying the culture of the program is something that I know the alumni are really proud of." The Cougar Seniors shined and with a combined five assists and two goals, they helped lead the Cougars to a 5-2 victory over Hawai'i Hilo tonight. 

How it Happened - It did not take long for the Cougars to strike first. In the 9th minute of the game, Marco Astorga and Fatovic set up Diep to put away his fourth goal in two games to give Azusa Pacific an early 1-0 lead. That lead would only hold for 14 seconds as Hawai'i Hilo pressed down field and found the equalizer to tie the game at 1-1 in the 9th. 10 minutes later, the team-leader in assists in Luis Solis set up Astorga just outside the box for him to find the low right corner of the net and grab the lead once again. With the score at 2-1, the Vulcans found the equalizer once again in the 38th to head into halftime all knotted at two a piece. 

After the break, it was the Cougars attack that took hold of the rest of the game. Azusa Pacific found a corner kick opportunity in 63rd minute, and Diep sent a perfect cross into the box to set up center-back Fritz Oestreicher, who put the ball between the posts to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead. Azusa Pacific leaned into their momentum and continued to press utilizing a strong passing game, while the backline and Leo Moreno prevented any opportunity that the Vulcans had near or in the box. In the 84th, it was Astorga again with the help of Echeverria to give the Cougars some insurance, doubling their lead over Hawai'i Hilo to 4-2. It did not stop there as Gomes found the back of the net in the final minutes to give Azusa Pacific a 5-2 lead, which was the final after 90 minutes of play. 

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific capitalized on their opportunities near the net as five out of their six shots on target were goals. The Cougars have scored ten goals in the past two games, which is as many as they scored combined in the previous nine games before Wednesday. Diep knotched his fourth goal in the past two games, moving his season total to nine, and he found his second assist of the season as well.  After scoring the first goal of the 2022 season at the Cougar Soccer Complex for Azusa Pacific, the senior Gomes scored the final goal for Azusa Pacific on the home pitch in his final time playing in Azusa. The Cougars also ended strong at home, winning their final three games before wrapping up their season on the road next week. 

Up Next: The Cougars will be on the road for their final two games of the season. They will play at Holy Names on Thursday, November 3rd and at Fresno Pacific on Saturday, November 5th.