TACOMA, Wash. – She may have been the smallest players on the field, but for one crucial moment, the 5-foot Julia Galdamez stood tallest.
Galdamez scored on a header with less than 6 minutes remaining in the game, lifting Azusa Pacific to a 2-2 draw against the University of Puget Sound on Friday afternoon on the Loggers'Â East Field.
The equalizer came when Galdamez redirected Anela Sandobal's perfectly placed corner kick just beyond the reach of Puget Sound goalkeeper Stella Grigoryan. The goal was Galdamez's first of the season and her first since Sept. 7, 2024.
Known more for her strong leg, and relentless work rate, Galdamez capitalized on a breakdown in the Logger defense to find space inside the box. Playing in her first season back after missing all of 2025 with a knee injury, she met Sandobal's service and arched a header just under the crossbar.
The late goal rescued a result for the Cougars after Puget Sound erased a 1-0 halftime deficit with 2 goals in less than 3 minutes during the second half.
Logger midfielder Madi Jarzynka scored the go-ahead goal with 23 minutes remaining after a loose ball slipped free inside the Cougar penalty area. Jarzynka collected the rebound and tapped it into an open net to give Puget Sound a 2-1 advantage.
Azusa Pacific opened the scoring in the 40th minute. Lauren Grissom, who also returned this season after missing all but 3 matches last year with a knee injury, ran onto a well-placed one-touch through ball and slipped a shot past Logger goalkeeper Gianna Maldonado into the lower-right corner. The goal was Grissom's second of the season.
Puget Sound, which is coming off a 14-3-5 campaign and a second-round 2025 NCAA Tournament appearance, held an 8-6 advantage in shots, including 5-2 tally the second half.
The draw in the first-ever meeting between the two West Coast powers moved both teams to 2-0-1 this season.
Azusa Pacific concludes its Pacific Northwest trip on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match-up against Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. The Lutes, who are 28-2-6 at home since 2022, prepare for their first meeting with Azusa Pacific since the 2 programs met in the NAIA Tournament in Tacoma 35 years ago on Nov. 15, 1991.
