AZUSA, Calif. - The chances were few and far between for both teams Saturday evening at the Cougar Soccer Complex, and ultimately Azusa Pacific walked away with a 0-0 draw against Concordia in their home finale for the 2024 season.

How It Happened:  Azusa Pacific enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, but while there were plenty of shots, most of them sailed harmlessly past the net.  Of the 10 shots the Cougars were credited with in the opening 25 minutes of the game, only two were on target.  Indeed, the closest chances the Cougars had in the first half were a pair of early strikes from Kaleb Abara that both sailed about a foot over the crossbar.  

While the second half was more even in terms of possession, the Cougars ended up outshooting the Golden Eagles 18-7 for the game, though only four of those 18 shots were on goal.  Azusa Pacific enjoyed a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks in the game.  In net, Alexis Rodriguez was only forced to make one save on the night to preserve his third shutout of the season.

With no major threats to the scoreboard in the game, the focus ended up being on the 12 Cougar seniors, most of whom were able to take part in the final home game of their careers.  Whether it was the back three of captain Fritz Oestreicher, Marco Bermudez, and Kayro Valdez who shut down the Concordia attack all night; Gabriel Oropeza taking five shots; Sean Romo searching for opportunities playing off the forward line; sparks off the bench from substitutes Morgan Johnson, Zedan Mutlu, Chris Bak, and Exides Quesada Navarro; or the reactions during the pregame ceremony for Valour Ladomi, Chris Athanasiadis, and Brian Torres; watching the dozen soak in the adoration of their home crowd one last time was a reward in its own right.

The draw snaps a two-game losing streak for the Cougars against Concordia, though the Cougars lead the all-time series 29-11-4.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (4-7-2, 3-3-2 PacWest) will be on the road for their final three games of the season.  Up first on that Northern California trip is a visit to Menlo for the first time ever.  Kickoff in Atherton is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 a.m.