AZUSA – Azusa Pacific knows what it’s like to be a team of destiny, playing the part during last year’s NAIA title run. Maybe that’s what softened the disappointment of Monday’s season-ending 2-0 loss to Westmont that kept the NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Cougars from advancing to the program’s fifth consecutive NAIA Tournament.
Instead, a Westmont team whose coach and several players are still reeling from the devastation of the Tea fire that swept through Montecito last week pulled off its third straight upset of a top-3 conference finisher on the road to clinch the GSAC’s automatic bid to the 50th Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship. The fire damaged several campus buildings, destroying 14 faculty homes, including the home of Warriors head coach and athletic director Dave Wolf, and the GSAC men’s soccer championship game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed until Monday.
Westmont used a scoreless first half as a confidence booster, and Harrison Hill put away the game-winner less than 5 minutes into the second half, one-timing a cross from senior midfielder Jonathon Schoff past senior All-GSAC goalkeeper James Crawford. Schoff, whose off-campus residence was also destroyed by the wildfire, broke free along the right side and delivered the cross to Hill about 12 yards out at the near post.
Schoff assisted the Warriors’ second goal, as well, flicking a long throw-in from freshman defender Zach George back to junior midfielder Hugo Pizano at the top of the box, who drilled another shot past Crawford from 19 yards out to give Westmont a 2-0 lead.
Azusa Pacific out-shot Westmont by an 11-5 margin in the second half, but Warriors goalkeeper Justin Etherton made 6 saves and was helped by the defense around him for another save off the goal line, to hold the Cougars scoreless. Not much seemed to work for Azusa Pacific’s attack against the spirited defensive effort of Westmont.
In the 64th minute, freshman forward Vini Dantas found All-GSAC senior defender Jared Karkas on a breakaway up the left side, but Karkas’ attempt at the equalizer skimmed the grass straight into the waiting arms of Etherton. After Pizano’s go-ahead score, Dantas got another chance, sending another low drive to the far post from 20 yards out, but Etherton made the diving save to his left to preserve Westmont’s 2-0 lead.
Despite a No. 5 national ranking in this week’s final NAIA poll and a national tournament field that expanded from 20 to 31 teams this season, Azusa Pacific was unable to secure one of the at-large berths to the NAIA tournament to defend its national title, and the Cougars’ season comes to an end prior to the NAIA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Westmont will host unranked Holy Names University, the California Pacific Athletic Conference champion, in the opening round of the national tournament this Saturday, Nov. 22.
