AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific clinched a spot in the NCAA DII Women's Soccer Tournament, marking the first time the program has seen postseason play since 2016. 

"I am really proud of you guys" head coach Brooke Lincoln said to her players after hearing Azusa Pacifc's name called. "If we think back to [our summer mission trip to] Colombia, we had the mindset to allow the Lord to use this season however He wanted to, and for it to be for His Glory. Wherever he wanted us to go, we said that we would use our platform to make His name known. And now, we get the chance to continue to do that."

After going 12-3-1 on the season, the Cougars did not make the PacWest's innagural conference tournament (top 4 teams qualify and APU finished fifth in the PacWest), yet remained high in the West Regional rankings. Going into the selection show on Monday, the team was fifth in the region, and the top 7 teams get a bid to the tournament. However, not participating on the PacWest Tournament did not hamper the Cougars, who moved up a spot in the final regional ranking.

Azusa Pacific is led by senior Jaci Maze, who lead the team in goals (10) and points (23) during her first full season back from injuries, and was selected as a first team All-PacWest honoree. Her 10 goals and 23 points are the most by a Cougar since 2015.  Other key players included senior Hailey Hilton, who was named  All-PacWest second team. As a center back she tallied 4 goals and led the backline to 8 clean sheets. Junior Avery Guiel was also selected to the All-PacWest second team, with 6 goals and 5 assists as a forward. Sophomore Sophia Emerson was a crucial part of the midfield, scoring the winning goal against No. 11-ranked Concordia to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season and logging 944 minutes. Senior Gianna Ocello was also key to the backline for a Cougar squad that has allowed just 12 goals in 16 regular-season games.

This will be the first time the program has had an NCAA berth since 2016, and the first time under Head Coach Brooke Lincoln. This season has been the program's winningest since 2016, which has included victories over 2022 NCAA champion Western Washington and Concordia, snapping the Eagles' 11-game unbeaten streak.

Up Next: The Cougars play at Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, Nov. 21, where they will face Western Washington, who they defeated 1-0 in Azusa earlier in the season. The rematch  is set for 1:00 p.m. PST.