AZUSA, Calif. – Saturday's game was a lesson in why you play the full 90 minutes in soccer, as Azusa Pacific rallied for a 2-1 victory against Chapman at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
The Cougars had a couple of great chances early on counterattacks, but Leke Ademola's shots were right at the keeper both times. But in the 18th minute, it was the Panters' turn to enjoy an odd-man rush, and they capitalized. Alexis Rodriguez was able to stop the first attempt, but the rebound went straight to a Chapman midfielder who slammed it into the net for an early 1-0 lead.
The Cougars almost immediately equalized, but Ademola was denied by the Chapman keeper for a third time in the opening 20 minutes on a scorching hot day that the referees determined would necessitate two hydration breaks in each half. In the 32nd minute, the Panthers nearly doubled their advantage, but a well-taken shot struck the crossbar, a miss that would prove crucial.
The game remained 1-0 well into the second half, when in the 72nd minute, things took a sharp turn. Gabe Schock was run into by the Chapman keeper outside the box. The ball was cleared into the Cougars' end and no foul was called, but the referee stopped play to explain why there was no call to coach Dave Blomquist.
The restart energized the Cougars, as Nasim Nouajaa found Osmin Carranza on the right flank. Carranza's centering pass was either touched or allowed to roll through by Ademola straight to Jeremiah Botros, whose right-footed effort found the back of the net to tie the contest.
As the minutes ticked away, the Cougars earned two successive corner kicks in the 89th minute. Carranza's cross on the second corner found the head of Ademola, who snuck it past the keeper for his 12th goal of the season with just 1:10 to play, and the escape was complete.
Rodriguez made six saves in net for the Cougars, who outshot the Panthers 17-12 on the day, with both teams directing seven shots on target. Ademola had eight of the Cougars' 17 shots, putting four on goal. Coming from behind is becoming a theme of this season, as the Cougars have only scored the first goal once in seven games against SCIAC opposition, but have salvaged a win and two ties in those situations.
Now back above .500 at 5-4-2 on the season, the Cougars will host their closest SCIAC rival in distance, La Verne. Kickoff against the Leopards is set for Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
