HONOLULU, Hawai'i - The Cougars had four different players score in a dominant 5-0 victory to open play on the islands Monday afternoon. Mario Shuteriqi recorded his second brace in back-to-back games, while Chris Athanasiadis, Gabriel Oropeza and Juancarlos Rodriguez also collected goals. Rodriguez had two assists, while Shuteriqi and Athanasiadis also earned an assist in the match. 

"The team played really well today." said head coach Dave Blomquist. "Scoring two early goals helped us settle into our style of play. We passed the ball well and had some really nice attacking movements." Blomquist continued, "On the defensive side, to keep the clean sheet was great."

How it Happened: The Cougars got out to an early jump, finding themselves leading the match 2-0 just eight minutes into regulation. In the fifth minute, Lavado found Shuteriqi who's low shot got past the charging Silverswoards goalkeeper, giving Azusa Pacific a quick 1-0 advantage. Just two minutes later, it was Shuteriqi who assisted Oropeza in finding the back of the net, who's shot deflected off the goalkeeper giving the Cougars a strong 2-0 start just minutes in.

Shuteriqi then earned his second goal of the game with assistance from Rodriguez, giving Azusa Pacific a commanding 3-0 advantage heading into half time.

The Cougars opened the second half with six shots through the first 15 minutes of play. In the 64th minute, it was Rodriguez who found the back of the net to earn his first goal of the game with help from Athanasiadis to go up 4-0 over the Silverswords. 

Just six minutes later, Rodriguez set up Athanasiadis who nailed a shot that found the top of the net to keep the Cougars rolling, taking a dominant 5-0 lead. 

Chaminade found one shot through the rest of the second half as Azusa Pacific's back line and goalkeeper's Alexis Rodriguez and Josiah Emerson were able to preserve the clean sheet and hold the Silverswords to just three shots on frame for the entirety of the game. This is the Cougars sixth clean sheet of the season as the match concluded in a 5-0 final. 

By the Numbers: The Cougars five goals are the most they have scored this season and the 5-0 victory is the highest margin of victory Azusa Pacific has had since 2019. Athanasiadis recorded his first career goal and Shuteriqi scored his team leading fifth and sixth goals of the season. Azusa Pacific recorded 22 shots with 12 shots on frame, a season-high for the team this year. The Cougars lead the all-time record 9-0-2, averaging 3.27 goals a game against Chaminade.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will continue play on the islands against Hawai'i Pacific on Wednesday, November 1st. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (HST) | 7:30 p.m. (PST). You can live stream the game HERE.