BELLINGHAM, Wash. – After facing a 1-0 deficit against PacWest Tournament Champion Point Loma, Azusa Pacific stormed back with two unanswered goals to claim a 2-1 victory and advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships. The win marks Head Coach Brooke Lincoln's first-ever post-season victory since she started coaching in 2013.
"Winning a playoff game; it feels great, but to see the girls and what it does for them- there's no words to describe how good that feels" Lincoln shared about her first playoff win.
She also praised her team's composure and adaptability, saying, "Point Loma is good- we just played them three weeks ago. Once we gave up the goal we knew we had to chase the game now. We changed formations and we asked the girls to do something they hadn't done all year, but one of the most special things about this team is every single time we've asked them to make a tactical change, they've done it flawlessly, and I think that speaks into their soccer IQ's, their trust for the staff, and their willingness to do what we ask them to."
Lincoln added, "We told them at halftime- this is our moment. I could not be more proud of how they responded. We went for it in the second half and it paid off for us."
Zoey Kuhn stole the spotlight in the second half, delivering a brace for the Cougars for her 6th and 7th goals of the season. After Point Loma capitalized on a set piece to score the lone goal of the first half, the Cougars entered the break knowing they needed a momentum shift in the second half.
"In these games we really needed to score, and with the support of the team we made it happen" said Kuhn on how it felt to score both goals tonight. "At halftime, I believed wholeheartedly that we could score two goals, and we just went for it- that's what got us the goals. We just went for it. They tried to adjust their defense to the way we scored last time, but we scored in a different way today, and that shows that it doesn't matter how a team adjusts to us- we're still gonna find the back of the net."
In the 50th minute, Alexis Fuller lofted a cross into the box, where Anela Sandobal settled it with her chest and brought it down to her feet. Shielding off her defender, Sandobal created space for Kuhn to jump in and take over. Kuhn wasted no time, firing a driven shot to the far post- well out of reach for the PLNU keeper.
Just eight minutes later, Kuhn delivered again. Applying high pressure on Point Loma's center back, she blocked the attempted clearance and fought her way through to regain possession. As she dribbled into the box, she absorbed pressure from a second defender, and took a touch to her right to create more space. She sent in a shot back across the mouth of the goal that the PLNU keeper got a hand on, but it wasn't enough, as the ball re-directed off the far post before rolling in.
Inside the Box Score:
- Kuhn collected her second brace of the season, both against PLNU
- PLNU held the statistical advantage, outshooting the Cougars 13–7 and earning a 5–0 edge in corners, but couldn't turn their chances into enough goals
- Alexia Muniz made 5 saves in goal
- APU enters the second round of the NCAA Championships, the furthest the Cougars have made it in the playoffs in 9 years
Up Next: Azusa Pacific will face #1 seed Western Washington in the second round on Saturday. The matchup will serve as a rematch of last year's NCAA First Round, where the Vikings defeated APU 2-1. Kickoff in Bellingham is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. PST.
