AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific's women's soccer team kicked off their home schedule with a bang, defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills by a 2-0 final Saturday evening at the Cougar Soccer Complex. Evelina Von Euler provided all the scoring, notching her first two goals in a Cougar uniform late in the second half.
How it Happened: The Cougars dominated possession in the first half, holding the ball for over 70 percent of the opening 45 minutes. But that edge was not translating into many offensive chances, as the team registered only a single shot on target in that time, the only such effort by either side.
Both teams started to open up more opportunities in the second half, with the home side in particular getting multiple chances in the form of eight corner kicks on the evening, six after intermission. The breakthrough came in the 76th minute. The ball found its way to Katie O'Brien on the right touchline near midfield, and she and freshman Avery Guiel played a series of passes to each other that sprung Guiel to the endline. Guiel sent a cross into the box, which was knocked in off the right shoulder of von Euler for her first goal since joining the program.
It would take von Euler barely 100 seconds to double her total. In the 78th minute, Bethany Tee got the ball off a throw in and centered it to Nora Oldmark. Oldmark's shot was saved, but the rebound spilled straight to von Euler, who tapped it in to double the Cougars' advantage.
By the Numbers: The Cougars outshot the Toros for the game by a margin of 13-4. Sophomore Maddie Williams made two saves for her second straight shutout to start the season. The Cougars are now 9-3-5 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills, and have won five consecutive meetings against the Toros dating back to 2013.
Quotable: "We told the girls after the first half that the goal was going to come and to keep moving off the ball, letting the ball do the work and somebody had to be hungry to get inside the box." said head coach Brooke Lincoln. "It's always really fun when you have a player (Von Euler) that comes and works hard every single day, is a great teammate and when they get their opportunity, they put one away." As the Cougars look towards their next four match ups against CCAA opponents, Lincoln states that "We've got good momentum, good confidence and we're excited about where we're at."
Up Next: The Cougars (1-0-1) will head out for a three-game road test against CCAA opposition, starting when they visit Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The game can be streamed on the CCAA Network, or you can follow along with the livestats HERE.
