RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Azusa Pacific closed out its weekend at the CBU Mini Tournament, splitting its pair of games on Saturday. The Cougars lost at the buzzer to rival Biola, and then bounced back with a convincing 21-5 victory over Redlands. 

Game One: Biola 10, Azusa Pacific 9

As the final stats reflected, the Cougars' first contest of the day with the rival Eagles was a battle throughout. The scoring started two minutes into the game, when Madeline Schultz scored on a penalty to put Azusa Pacific up early. About 90 seconds later, the Eagles would equalize, and the score would remain at 1-1 until there was under a minute to play in the first. With 53 seconds on the clock, Skylar Ford would put the Cougars back on top with a goal that made it 2-1 heading into the second quarter.

Over the first two minutes of play in the second, the Eagles would gain control of the lead, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 advantage. Azusa Pacific would respond with three unanswered goals of its own, as Kyra Kahahawai (4:28), Martiza Ochoa (1:42) and Schultz each found the back of the cage to make it 5-4 Cougars. With just 17 seconds to play in the first half, Biola would score on a power play to send the game to a 5-5 tie at halftime.

The Eagles would jump back in front at 6-5 about 30 seconds into the first half, but Shyanne Rainey would shoot and score to tie it back up at 6-6 with 4:42 to play in the third. Kaelene De Bie would get the lead back for the Cougars on a goal with 2:12 on the clock to make it 7-6. While Biola would tie the score back up on a power play with a minute and a half to go in the third, Ochoa would score her second goal of the match for the Cougars, also on a power play, to send Azusa Pacific into the final eight minutes of play with an 8-7 lead. 

While the first three minutes of the fourth passed with neither team finding the back of the cage, Biola would break through with a goal to tie the game up with 4:48 to play. At the 3:07 mark, the Eagles would strike again to take the lead.

Ochoa would record a hat trick with 2:52 to play, as her third goal of the game knotted the score back up at 9-9, but the Eagles would be lifted to victory on a last-second buzzer beater from Maria Roldan Gonzalez.

Both teams took 30 shots in the game. The Eagles finished 4-for-8 on power plays, compared to a 2-for-6 effort for the Cougars.

Game Two: Azusa Pacific 21, Redlands 5

The Cougars did not allow the loss to linger, as they bounced right back to claim a dominant win in game two over the Bulldogs. While the first quarter ended with Azusa Pacific holding a slim 2-1 lead, the Cougars began to create separation in the second quarter, out-scoring the Bulldogs by a 4-1 margin to take a 6-2 lead into halftime.

The offensive attack was just warming up for the Cougars in the first two quarters, as they would re-enter the pool after halftime and score seven goals in the third quarter, and eight goals in the fourth quarter. 

11 different players scored for the Cougars, including six who turned in multi-goal performances. Montana White led the way with five goals, Alyssa Perez finished with three goals, while Kyra Kahahawai, Maritza Ochoa, Brenna Kenney, and Maria Boix Pascual each added two goals. Kaelene De Bie dished out three assists. Defensively, Madeline Schultz was credited with three steals, and in goal, Daniela Herrero Miralles tallied 10 saves.

Azusa Pacific scored 21 goals on 33 attempts for a shooting percentage of .636, and the Cougars went 2-for-3 on power play opportunities. 

The Cougars' 21 goals against Redlands is the third most goals scored in a single game in program history, and it is just the seventh time in the program's 14-year history in which the Cougars have scored 20 or more goals in a game.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (2-5) will be on the road for a game at Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 pm in Seaside, Calif. Cal State Monterey Bay will enter next week's contest with a 2-3 record.