GLENDORA, Calif. – The final Cornerstone Cup contest in the pool took place Thursday night at the Citrus Aquatics Center, and Biola made it a night they will remember, overcoming a five-goal deficit to take down Azusa Pacific 13-11.
How It Happened: After spotting Biola the first goal, Montana George tied the game up on a penalty shot, and Evelyne Prado gave the Cougars their first lead on the ensuing possession. After another Biola goal, Prado's second put the Cougars ahead, a lead they would hold until the fourth quarter. The Cougars added two more before the end of the quarter, settling for a 5-3 lead. In a defensive-minded second, Biola scored once more near the midway point to pull within a goal, but the Cougars responded and when Kohia Rego beat the halftime buzzer, Azusa Pacific found itself with a 7-4 lead at intermission.
George scored her second of the game to open the third quarter, and after Bailey Hollick scored two in a row, the Cougars found themselves with the largest lead of the game at 10-5 with 12 minutes to play. But the momentum shifted immediately. Biola scored four unanswered to pull within one by the end of the period. After the Eagles tied the game, Audrey Dexter finally stopped the run with a goal to put the Cougars ahead 11-10, but the Eagles tied it up, took the lead on a penalty shot of their own with just under two minutes to play, and kept the Cougars off the scoreboard for the duration.
By the Numbers: The Cougars had 31 shots in the contest, with four of them bouncing off the post during their 12-minute drought in the second half. Rego had two goals and two assists to lead the offense, while Prado, Hollick, George, and Jessie Nelson each scored twice. Daniela Herrero Miralles made 10 saves in goal and picked up an assist. The Cougars had four power play opportunities in the game, but failed to convert on any of them. The result snapped a three-game win streak for the Cougars in the head-to-head series, including a 15-10 win in a neutral pool earlier this season.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (16-10) will close out the regular season with a non-conference tilt at San Jose State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., before preparing for the Golden Coast Conference tournament at Fresno State.
