SAN RAFAEL, CALIF - Azusa Pacific kicked off their two game road trip to the Bay Area at Dominican on Thursday afternoon. The Penguins were 3-0 in PacWest play so far on the season with seven wins and three losses in total, while the Cougars were coming off a home victory to begin their conference campaign. After the first half was goalless, Dominican's side got two past the Cougars who ended the game with 10 men, with a final score of 1-2 after 90 minutes of play. 

How It Happened: The Cougars were looking to go 2-0 in the PacWest as they had to face an undefeated Dominican side on Thursday. The first chance for Dominican came in the seventh minute but the effort missed over the top crossbar. The Cougars keeper Leo Moreno made a crucial save in the ninth minute and Dominican's pressure was forcing APU back early on as the Cougars couldn't break the press too frequently in the first 10 minutes. The first corner of the game for the Cougars came in the 12th minute but was dealt with by the defense.

After a good run by the defense, the Cougars attack got going. A free kick for Azusa Pacific came in the 15th minute but Justin Tinajero's header was saved. The Cougars missed a chance to get out in front in the 24', when Gregoire Diep's ball to Joshua Lugo in the corner created an attacking opportunity. The first attempt from Lugo was saved and the rebound ball fell perfectly to Marco Astorga, but a miss-hit allowed the Penguins to stay even. Azusa Pacific played the majority of the first half on the backfoot but it was the missed opportunity in the first half that allowed Dominican to control the pace. The Penguins had plenty of chances but could also not convert. 

In the opening minutes of the second half, Astorga's shot was blocked by the Dominican keeper. After that moment the home team showed their force by scoring just seven minutes into the half off a corner. The Cougars had to play from behind the remainder of the game and the team was tested even further when Fritz Oestreicher was shown a double yellow in the 67th minute and Azusa Pacific had to now play down a man for the remaining 20 plus minutes. 

Dominican found the dagger in the 75' off another corner, this time by way of a rebound finish. Astorga was able to get one back for the Cougars however, it was too late for the visitors and the Cougars fell 1-2. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific now is .500 in the PacWest but have an opportunity to turn things around at the weekend. The Cougars will play at Academy of Art at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 8th. You can follow the live stats HERE.