HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Azusa Pacific wrapped up play at the Rainbow Invitational on Saturday, falling to a pair of top-10 teams in the nation. The day started with an 18-3 loss to tournament host and fourth-ranked Hawai'i, and the Cougars ended the day falling to #9 Princeton by an 11-6 score. Azusa Pacific is now 2-4 this season.
#4 Hawai'i 18, Azusa Pacific 3
The Rainbow Warriors took control of the game early, scoring eight goals in the opening quarter while holding the Cougars to just one. Hawai'i outscored the Cougars in the remaining three quarters as well, doing so by margins of 5-1, 3-0, 2-1. The Rainbow Warriors finished with 31 shots in the game, while Azusa Pacific had 20. Hawai'i went 4-for-5 on powerplay chances, and the Cougars finished 2-for-7.
Rachel Ahumada,
Alexandra Akritidou and
Laia Marsinach Ortega each scored a goal for the Cougars.
#9 Princeton 11, Azusa Pacific 6
The two teams made it tough on one another offensively to start the game, with the two sides scoring just three goals combined in the first quarter. Princeton scored the first goal of the game with just over a minute played, but the Cougars leveled things at 1-1 on an Akritidou goal with 3:26 on the first quarter clock. The Tigers were held scoreless for over six minutes, but a penalty was called on the Cougars with 24 seconds to go in the quarter. Princeton converted on the penalty shot to take a 2-1 lead into the second.
A goal less than 30 seconds into the second made it 3-1 Princeton, but Akritidou and
Montana White responded with consecutive goals to tie the score at 3-3 with four and a half minutes to go before halftime. However, the momentum would be short lived for the Cougars, as the Tigers scored just 20 seconds later to regain the lead, which they would not surrender for the remainder of the contest. At halftime, Princeton held a 7-3 advantage.Â
With a minute left to play in the third quarter, Akritidou found the back of the cage for her third goal of the game to get the Cougars within a 7-5 score, but the Tigers put the game away by scoring three goals over the final minute of the period to take a 10-5 lead into the final eight minutes of play. In the fourth, each team scored a goal apiece.
Up Next: The Cougars will head to Redlands this upcoming weekend for a pair of games at the Bulldog Mini #1, hosted by the University of Redlands. The Cougars will play Cal State Northridge and Redlands on Saturday, February 3.
