AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific women's soccer put up a tough fight against the No. 12 team in the Nation, Concordia on Thursday evening. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and the Cougars goal is the first goal the Golden Eagles have given up in nine games, dating back to August 31st. Avery Guiel scored her second goal of the season, whille Anela Sandobal collected the first assist of her career. Maddie Williams also had a career-high seven saves in goal. 

"I'm extremely proud of our players." said head coach Brooke Lincoln. "The game plan that we started talking about on Monday, I thought they executed perfectly." Lincoln continued, "We had great communication and I think this is the best 90 minutes we've played all year." 

How it Happened: Both teams found a few opportunities in the first half, as the pace of play was quick and steady on both sides of the field. The Golden Eagles maintained 56% possession, although about 60% of the Cougars possession was spent on their attacking half in the first 45 minutes.

Rilee Bradbury collected the first shot on frame of the game in the 13th minute, but Concordia's goalkeeper made the save to keep the game scoreless. The Golden Eagles were able to find a few shots that cleared the crossbar in their early press but Azusa Pacific's back line did a fine job in not allowing Concordia to convert any dangerous opportunities they found near the box.

Both sides saw more action in their final thirds to open the second half as Concordia collected seven shots with four on frame compared to the Cougars three shots with one on frame through 20 minutes of play.

In the 78th minute Sandobal found Guiel at the top of the box who had a breakaway on the far side of the field, getting past a Golden Eagle defender and sending a right footed shot into the back right corner of the net to give Azusa Pacific a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars were able to hang on to that lead for about nine minutes before the Golden Eagles delivered, finding the equalizer in the 87th minute to tie the game at 1-1. 

Nora Oldmark was able to get a shot off in the final minute of the game, but nothing came from it as the Cougars pushed the No. 12 team in the country to a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of play.

By the Numbers: The Cougars are just one of two teams to collect a goal against Concordia this season and the only team to come up with a tie. The Golden Eagles had 15 shots with eight on frame, compared to Azusa Pacific's nine shots with four on frame. Lincoln utilized seven players off the bench tonight while Kylie Carwitz, Sophia Emerson, Gianna Ocello, Katie Prado and Williams played the full 90 minutes. The draw moves the Cougars all-time record over Concordia to 21-7-3. 

Up Next: The Cougars will be back at the Cougar Soccer Complex this Monday, October 23rd when they welcome Fresno Pacific for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.