AZUSA, Calif – The Cougars faced off against the Menlo College Oaks in their penultimate game of the season, however, defensive efforts prevailed as neither team could find the breakthrough in a 0-0 draw.

Menlo began the game on the offensive, seeing two good chances on goal in the first 10 minutes. The Oaks thought they had taken the lead in the 9th minute when they had a goal chalked off for a handball. One minute later an Oak shot banged off the Cougar goal post and out for a goal kick. After weathering the initial storm, Azusa Pacific settled into the half and outshot Menlo 4-2. The Cougars closest chance in the half came in the 18th minute when Sohei Matsumori found Andrew Gomez in the box who forced a kick save from the Oak goalkeeper.

The second half saw slightly more action, with the Cougars and Oaks combining for 12 total shots. Again, it was Azuza Pacific who outshot Menlo 8-4, including 3 on goal. Menlo upped the tempo with 20 minutes left in the game, requiring the APU defense to stand strong. Goalkeeper Alexis Rodriguez kept the Cougars alive with a pair of great saves, with the first coming in the 73rd minute when he knocked away a shot heading for the top right corner. The second came just two minutes later in a 1v1 with an Oaks striker. The last bit of action in the game happened in the 88th minute when Cougar defender Diego Martinez made a last ditch slide tackle in the penalty box to stop a Menlo forward from going through on goal.

Inside the Numbers: 

• Alexis Rodriguez's 3 saves on the night secure the Cougars second clean sheet of the season
• Andrew Gomez had a game high 4 shots with 3 on target
• This is the first goalless draw of the Cougar's season

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (4-8-4 and 3-3-3 in Pacwest) look to finish the season on a high note when they host the Jessup University Warriors on Saturday Nov. 8th. The Cougar's final game of the season is scheduled for 7:30pm at the Cougar Soccer Complex.