RIVERSIDE, Calif. – First year head coach Priscilla Gomez earned the first victory of her career at Azusa Pacific, as the Cougars beat Fresno Pacific by a 17-6 score in the first of two games on Saturday at the CBU Mini Tournament. In the second game of the day, No. 5 UC Irvine beat the Cougars by a 24-7 score.
Game One: Azusa Pacific 17, Fresno Pacific 6
The Cougars took an early lead over the Sunbirds, outsourcing Fresno Pacific by a 4-1 tally in the opening period. Maria Boix Pascual delivered the first goal of the game with 5:53 on the clock, and while the Sunbirds would level on a penalty with just under four minutes to play in the first, Azusa Pacific would score three unanswered over the remainder of the quarter. Maritza Ocha scored the Cougars' second goal (1:47), and Montana White added two goals in the final 30 seconds of play in the first to go up 4-1.
Azusa Pacific's defense would continue to stifle the Sunbird attack, as the Cougars held Fresno Pacific scoreless over the first seven minutes of play in the second. During that time, the Cougars kept building their lead on the offensive end, pushing the score up to 10-1. Skylar Ford found the back of the cage twice, while Ochoa, Boix Pascual, Madeline Schultz and Shyanne Rainey each added a goal in the period. The Sunbirds scored on a powerplay with 40 seconds left, sending the game into the halftime break at a 10-2 score.
In the third, White scored her third goal of the contest to make it 11-2, and Azusa Pacific stretched its advantage up to 13-2 on a pair of goals from Schultz.
Heading into the fourth and final quarter, Azusa Pacific had maintained a comfortable lead of 13-3. Over the first four minutes of the period, the Sunbirds had trimmed the deficit down to 14-7, but the Cougars would add three goals over the final three minutes of play while holding Fresno Pacific scoreless.
Ochoa, Schultz, White and Rainey each finished with three goals, while Boix Pascual and Ford added two goals apiece. In goal, Daniela Herrero Miralles notched 13 saves for the Cougar defense.
"I am so happy and full of joy for Coach Gomez," said Azusa Pacific Director of Athletics Gary Pine, "She is an excellent young coach, and this victory is the first of many more for her in her collegiate career."
Game Two: UC Irvine 24, Azusa Pacific 7
Early on, it looked as if a major upset could be on the horizon for the Cougars. Just 15 seconds into the action, Rainey fired a ball into the goal for a 1-0 lead, and while UC Irvine would tie it at 1-1 with a goal a little over a minute later, Azusa Pacific would strike for four unanswered goals over the next four minutes to surge ahead 5-1.
After UC Irvine scored a goal with 1:33 to play in the first period, the Anteaters snagged all the momentum in the second quarter, outscoring the Cougars by a 7-1 score to take a 9-6 lead into the break.
Over the final two quarters, UC Irvine outscored the Cougars by a 15-1 margin, with the Cougars' lone goal of the second half occurring by way of a powerplay (White, 5:32 in the 3rd).
White finished the game with three goals.
Up Next: The Cougars, now 1-4, continue at the CBU Mini Invitational with two more games on Saturday. At 11:45 am tomorrow, the opponent will be rival Biola, and later on at 4:45 pm, the Cougars will take on Redlands. The matchup with Biola is not only a rivalry contest, but it is also a family affair, as Coach Gomez' younger sister, Sarah Orozco, is the head coach at Biola, and in the pool, Shyanne Rainey will be playing against her twin sister Samantha, who is a goalkeeper for the Eagles.
