AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific picked up their first PacWest win of the season in a hard fought 2-0 victory over the 2022 co-defending conference champions in Dominican. Issaka Salifu collected an assist and a goal, while Mario Shuteriqi also had a goal on the night.
"The guys have done a fantastic job and they have been training all year with passion." said head coach Dave Blomquist. "Dominican is a great team and this win will give us some momentum and confidence heading into the rest of conference".
How it Happened: Both teams found opportunities in the first 45 minutes as the Cougars collected two shots on goal compared to Dominicans four. The Penguins found a breakaway opportunity midway through the half, but Leo Moreno attempted a diving stop and he deflected the ball to hit off the cross bar to keep the game scoreless.
The Cougars found six shots to open the second half, and Salifu's opportunity in the 65th minute came just inches away from giving the Cougars the lead as it banged off the woodwork. Just minutes later, Salifu set up Shuteriqi at the top of the box who's shot found the back of the net, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars provided insurance just eight minutes later when Juancarlos Rodriguez sent the ball up field to Salifu who fought off a Penguin defender, finding the back of the net to give Azusa Pacific a strong 2-0 lead. In the final minute, Dominican found a shot on goal, but Moreno came up with his seventh save of the game to complete the clean sheet and give the Cougars their first PacWest win of the season.
By the Numbers: After five scoreless games for the Cougars, they found two goals tonight and also completed their second shutout of the season. Moreno collected his second-highest amount of saves this season and collected his 10th solo clean sheet of his career. Salifu found his team-leading second goal of the season and Shuteriqi found the first goal of his Cougar career. Blomquist utilized eight players off the bench tonight and Elijah Cofer, Fritz Oestreicher, Sean Romo and Moreno all played the full 90 minutes.
Up Next: The Cougars will return to the pitch on Monday, October 9th when they welcome Academy of Art for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff. If you cannot attend, you can watch HERE.
