THOUSAND OAKS, Calif - Azusa Pacific completed the two-game sweep, earning a perfect 4-0 record at the Tina Finali Tournament this weekend. The Cougars 18-0 shutout victory over Toronto was the first shutout for the program since a 24-0 victory over Penn-State Behrend in 2014, and the Cougars have now won five straight which ties the longest streak the program has seen since 2019.
GAME ONE: Azusa Pacific 18, Toronto 0
It did not take long for Azusa Pacific to get on the board early as one goal from Madeline Schultz and two from Shyanne Rainey put the Cougars up 3-0 after the first period.
Maritza Ochoa won the second sprint to continue Azusa Pacific's offensive attack which led to a goal just 15 seconds into the second period. Three more goals by Azusa Pacific gave them a commanding 7-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Cougars won their 3rd sprint of the day via Skylar Ford giving Azusa Pacific the ball to start the third period. Once again, only 20 seconds in Azusa Pacific was able to find the back of the net, this time by Kyra Kahahawai. Three more goals in under two minutes gave Azusa Pacific a double digit lead and Kaelene De Bie found the back of the net two more times, taking advantage of a power play with three seconds left to advance the Cougars into the fourth period leading 13-0.
The fourth period started no differently for Azusa Pacific as Ford won the sprint again. White and Schultz delivered back-to-back goals to put the Cougars up 15-0. A turnover by Toronto gave White another chance and she delivered, scoring her second goal of the period. Alyssa Perez added to Azusa Pacific's lead in the final minutes, putting away two goals as the Cougars ended the game with a final score of 18-0.
GAME TWO: Azusa Pacific 16, Cal Lutheran 10
Game two got off to a strong start for the Cougars as White won the sprint and started on offense. Shortly after, Schultz beat the Cal Lutheran goalie, giving Azusa Pacific an early 1-0 lead. White would find the back of the net halfway through the first period, but the Regals would respond with a goal of their own 23 seconds later. What would be a competitive first period, Azusa Pacific ended with a 3-2 lead.
After the Cougars started on offense again in the second period, four goals were scored between the two teams in just over a minute, but Azusa Pacific still found themselves leading at 5-4. A turnover by the Cougars allowed the Regals to tie it at 5 a piece, but Maritza Ochoa found the back of the cage to give Azusa Pacific a 6-5 lead. Another goal by Ochoa and a response by Cal Lutheran sent the Cougars into the half leading by one at 7-6.
Rainey got the scoring started for Azusa Pacific in the second half off a power play to put the Cougars up by two. Cal Lutheran once again responded, finding the back of the net, but four more goals led Azusa Pacific to out-score the Regals 5-2 to take a 12-8 lead into the final period of the game.
The Regals were able to score two in the fourth period but the Cougars responded by way of Rainey and Kahahawai denting the twine to stay ahead by four. Two more goals kept Azusa Pacific in a steady position and allowed the Cougars to take a 16-10 victory.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific was 8-0 on sprints for the day and seven different players found the back of the net, combining for 34 goals. The Cougars shot 34-for-62 (54.8%) on the day, compared to opponents at 10-for-47 (21.2%) and also picked up 13 assists and 10 steals on the day.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific has their home and conference opener against Loyola Marymount this Friday, March 3rd. The game will take place at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif. at 3:00 p.m.
