THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran men's soccer team battled back in the second half, but came up short in a 3-1 loss to Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon at William Rolland Stadium.
The Kingsmen (4-6-3, 2-4-1 SCIAC) outshot the Cougars 14-11 and put five shots on target, but Azusa Pacific capitalized on its opportunities to earn the victory.
APU opened the scoring in the 35th minute before adding a second goal just before halftime to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
The Cougars extended their advantage in the 54th minute, but Cal Lutheran responded quickly. Just over three minutes later,
Viktor Cole found the back of the net off an assist from
Shaw Nishizawa in the 57th minute to get the Kingsmen on the board and cut the deficit to 3-1.
Cal Lutheran continued to push offensively throughout the second half, recording 10 shots after halftime. The Kingsmen created several opportunities down the stretch, including a shot from
Justin Cruz that struck the woodwork in the 87th minute, shortly followed by another from
Dane Paulson.
Despite the result, the Kingsmen held advantages in total shots and corner kicks (5-2) against the Cougars, while
Cody Ross finished with four saves in goal.
The matchup counted toward the teams' overall records but not the SCIAC standings as Azusa Pacific continues its NCAA reclassification from Division II to Division III.
Cal Lutheran returns to conference play Wednesday, October 14, traveling to face Occidental at 7 p.m. The Kingsmen will look to bounce back on the road against the Tigers in their only meeting of the season.
