POMONA, CALIF – The Cougars escaped the match victorious over a tough Cal Poly Pomona opponent on the road Saturday evening. Mackenzie Coleman collected her first goal of the year, as Bethany Tee capitalized on a penalty kick opportunity late in the game to score her third goal of the year. The win tonight improves Azusa Pacific's record to 3-1-2 on the season, and it is their second win over the Broncos in as many years. "Tonight was a GREAT team win!" said head coach Brooke Lincoln. "I was excited to see how we responded after the loss Thursday night and we responded in every way I would have hoped."
 
How it Happened: In the first 45 minutes of play, the Cougars pressed on their attacking half early, with Katie Prado and Aubrey Dunaway finding opportunities to take a shot, as well as two corner kicks for the Cougars in the first nine minutes of play. Through a competitive first half, Azusa Pacific came up with five shots, but nothing was able to come from their attack. Maddie Williams kept the Broncos at bay, tabbing three saves in the first 45 minutes to send the game into half time knotted at zero goals a piece. 

The second half provided a momentum shift for the Cougars as play started to open up with more opportunities to capitalize near the net. Azusa Pacific was awarded a corner kick in the 66th minute, and Tee sent a cross into the box to set up Coleman perfectly as she put it away to give the Cougars a 1-0 advantage. Later in the half, the Broncos found a daring opportunity in the box and a header by a Cal Poly Pomona player placed the ball between the posts to tie the game up at one a piece. Azusa Pacific's attack would not stop there as they continued to drive down field and pressured the Broncos backline. Alexis Fuller attempted to make something happen for the Cougars in the box, but a Bronco's slide tackle was enough to award Azusa Pacific with a penalty kick. Tee took the shot for the Cougars as she placed the ball in the right half of the net to put the Cougars up 2-1. This was all the Cougars needed as they continued to defend Cal Poly Pomona from the posts in the final seven minutes to end the game by a final score of 2-1. Lincoln's final thoughts included, "It's hard to go on the road and win in the CCAA. We are looking forward to having a week to prepare for Point Loma." 

By the Numbers: This is Azusa Pacific's seventh win over the Broncos and just their second win playing at Cal Poly Pomona. Coleman collected her third goal of her career tonight, while Tee tabbed her first assist of the season. The Cougars had five corner kicks compared to the Broncos one, and Williams improved to 19 saves on the season thus far. 19 players saw action in the game tonight, as Lincoln utilized eight players off the bench to earn the victory. 

Up Next: The Cougars will be back at the Cougar Soccer Complex on Saturday, September 24^th  at 5:00 p.m. for a non-conference match up against Point Loma. If you cannot attend the game, you can watch the live stream for free HERE.