AZUSA, Calif. – One goal became two. Two became three. And by the time Wednesday night was over, nearly everyone had gotten in on the action.
Seven different Cougars found the back of the net as Azusa Pacific poured in a season-high 8 goals in an 8-0 victory over Caltech Wednesday evening at the Cougar Soccer Complex, keeping the Cougars unbeaten through their first 7 matches of the season.
It took just 5 minutes for Ariana Rivera to open the scoring, finishing a chance created by Sarah Goodwin to give the Cougars the early advantage. Less than 4 minutes later, Abbie Campos doubled the lead off an assist from Anela Sandobal, and before Caltech could settle into the match, Azusa Pacific had taken complete control.
Gabi Bustamante added to the advantage in the 27th minute, sending the Cougars into halftime with a 3-0 lead. While the scoreboard showed a comfortable margin, it was APU's control of the match that told the larger story. The Cougars kept Caltech without a shot over the opening 45 minutes while continuing to create chances of their own.
Then came the second wave.
Julia Galdamez pushed the lead to 4-0 in the 61st minute before Emily Cherry struck just over 2 minutes later. Lauren Grissom joined the scoring in the 71st minute with her team-leading fourth goal of the season, giving Azusa Pacific 6 goals from 6 different players.
The Cougars weren't finished.
Natalie Kamper broke the pattern by becoming the first Cougar to score twice, finding the net in the 80th minute before completing her brace in the 87th off an assist from Sara Omachi to put the finishing touches on the 8-0 victory.
By the final whistle, Azusa Pacific had outshot Caltech, 25-0, putting 16 shots on goal while earning 9 corner kicks. Paloma Platas and the Cougar defense collected their third consecutive shutout, extending their scoreless streak to 270 minutes.
The 8 goals are the most Azusa Pacific has scored in a match this season and continue an offensive surge that has seen the Cougars score 16 unanswered goals over their last 3 matches.
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 5-0-2 on the season. The Cougars return to action Saturday (Sept. 26), when they travel to Eagle Rock for an 11 a.m. matchup with Occidental.
