GLENDORA, Calif. - Saturday marked the final time that
Skylar Ford,
Mica Schiavone and Maria Boix Pascual would don the black cap for an Azusa Pacific home game, as the Senior Day celebration was capped off with a 15-8 win over rival Biola. With the win, the Cougars improved to 14-11 overall, and Azusa Pacific has scored 14 or more goals in all 14 of its victories in the campaign.
Maritza Ochoa set a new career-high with five goals scored for the Cougars, while Ford put three goals into the back of the cage and set up two others with a pair of assists for five total points. Boix Pascual had two goals and an assist, while
Montana White added two goals and
Rachel Ahumada tallied two assists. Defensively, Schiavone had three steals while Boix Pascual added two.
Daniela Herrero Miralles earned the win in goal for the Cougars, racking up five saves over the first two periods of play before
Alex Airitam took over in the third period and finished with eight saves.
How It Happened: The visiting Eagles had the early upperhand, as Biola scored two unanswered over the first two minutes of play to take a 2-0 advantage. Ford put the Cougars on the board with her first goal of the contest at the 5:21 mark in the first period. About three minutes later, the Eagles held a 4-2 lead when
Alyssa Perez scored a goal for the Cougars that jump-started a 3-0 run over the remainder of the opening period to put the hosts in front by a 6-4 score going into the second.
From the end of the first period on, the Cougar lead never went away, as they took a 8-6 lead into halftime before out-scoring the Eagles by a 4-1 margin in the third and a 3-1 spread in the fourth quarter. While Biola cut it to a one goal difference at 8-7 to start the second half, the Cougar defense held the Eagles scoreless from the seven minute mark in the third, all the way until the 4:57 mark in the fourth quarter, when Biola was able to make it 13-8 on a powerplay goal. During the near 10 minute scoring drought for Biola, the Cougars were able to put five goals away on the other end of the pool to grab full control of the momentum.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific shot 15-for-35 (43%), while Biola was 8-for-33 (24%). The Eagles relied heavily on advantage situations, with four of their eight goals coming in powerplay opportunities, while the Cougars converted on two powerplay scenarios. With Biola recently adding women's water polo, the two programs have only played three times, and Azusa Pacific now leads the all-time series 2-1. The victory also earned Azusa Pacific 10 points in the Cornerstone Cup rivalry series, and the Cougars now lead Biola by a 70-50 score. Points are still up for grabs in both men's and women's track & field and softball. Since the launch of the Cornerstone Cup in 2017-18, Azusa Pacific has won all six years, and the Cougars are closing in on their seventh-consecutive rivalry crown.
Up Next: Next Thursday, the Cougars will visit Concordia for a Golden Coast Conference showdown in Irvine at 12:15 pm.
