REDLANDS, Calif. – The Cougars pushed a ranked opponent to the brink at the Redlands mini-tournament, falling to #23 Cal State Northridge 11-10 in overtime before putting together their most complete performance of the season with an 18-1 victory over Redlands.
Game 1: Cal State Northridge 11, Azusa Pacific 10 (OT)
The Cougars jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the opening three minutes, with
Alexandra Akritidou finding the back of the cage twice in that span. The senior transfer would complete a hat trick later in the quarter, and when
Montana White converted on a power play with 1:43 remaining in the quarter, the Cougars found themselves leading 5-1. The Matadors would rally with two goals before the end of the period, then score the only goal of the second quarter to pull within 5-4 at halftime.
The Cougars would extend their lead in the third quarter, taking an 8-5 advantage into the final quarter, only to see Northridge tie the game up.
Laia Marsinach Ortega appeared to give the Cougars the game-winner with her second goal of the game coming with one minute to play, but the Matadors were able to score an equalizer with just three seconds remaining to send the contest into overtime. Cal State Northridge again came from a goal down in the overtime period to take an 11-10 lead, and the Cougars' last-second shot attempt to tie bounced off the crossbar. Akritidou had four goals to lead the Cougar attack, while the goaltending duo of
Daniela Herrero Miralles and
Alex Airitam combined for 14 saves in net.
Game 2: Azusa Pacific 18, Redlands 1
The Cougars scored on three of their first four possessions and never looked back in taking down the Bulldogs, who are ranked 4th in NCAA Division III. The Cougars scored at least four goals in every quarter and outshot Redlands for the game, 38-22. Akritidou had a six-point game, scoring five goals to go along with an assist.
Alyssa Perez had a season-high four goals, while
Skylar Ford also had a hat trick. Airitam and Herrero Miralles each made seven saves as the Cougars came within 2 ½ minutes of what would have been the program's third-ever shutout before the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard late.
By the Numbers: In all, nine different Cougars scored a goal over the course of the two games. Akritidou's nine goals over the course of the doubleheader give her 20 on the season, the most in the Golden Coast Conference. On the defensive side, the Cougars came up with 33 steals across the doubleheader. Against Redlands, the Cougars set season highs in shots (38), margin of victory (17), assists (14), and saves (14).
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (3-5) will next take their show to the Central Valley when they face UC Merced, an NAIA program beginning the transition to NCAA Division II, on Friday, February 16th. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
