FRESNO, Calif. - The 2022 season came to an end for Azusa Pacific on Saturday evening, and the Cougars finished the season with a 1-1 draw on the road at Fresno Pacific. The Cougars posted a 6-8-4 overall record, including a 4-3-3 showing in PacWest play.
How It Happened: The home side was able to put one away early, when Gabriel Monteiro was able to get one into the back of the net in just the 8th minute of action.
With a goal lead, the Sunbirds took on a much more defensive shape, often bringing all 11 back into the defensive half of the field. As a result, the Cougars surveyed the pitch for most of the half, passing the ball in the midfield while looking for potential areas to exploit and attack in the Fresno defense. The Cougars entered the break with a 59% advantage in possession.
While the Sunbirds became more defensive up a goal, the home side still created opportunities to attack, and Cougar goalkeeper Leo Moreno stepped up and gathered four saves over the remainder of the first 45 to keep the match in reach.
The breakthrough for the Cougars came in the 58th minute, when the visitors worked their way into a corner kick opportunity. The ball was crossed in off of the corner, and after a couple of touches and deflections, the ball found its way back out to Juancarlos Rodriquez just outside of the box on the right flank. Rodriguez played it back into the box, where the ball eventually found the foot of Justin Tinajero, who tapped it into the goal for the equalizer.
While both teams had several significant chances to take the lead, it was the goalkeeping of Moreno and Fresno Pacific's Elmer Carballo, along with the back lines for each team that made the difference in the final half-hour, with players stepping up to deflect or collect shots that seemed certain to break the tie.
By the Numbers: The Cougars finished with the advantage in possession (60%) and corners (9-6), while the Sunbirds posted an upperhand in shots (12-8) and shots on goal (6-2). It was a physical game, with the Cougars being charged with 12 fouls and four yellow cards, while Fresno Pacific somehow escaped with just three fouls called on them and no cards.
Up Next: The season comes to a close for the Cougars, and after some time off, head coach Dave Blomquist and his staff will turn their attention towards preparation for next season. While the Cougars graduate several key players ( Gregoire Diep, Adam Duffy, Jessie Echeverria, Marko Fatovic, Pedro Nagib Gomes, Zac Ingalls, Joseph Macpherson, Tim Siegfried and Delverone Simpson), a large group of young players that saw significant action this season will be back with a year of experience under their belts. The future is bright for men's soccer at Azusa Pacific.
