Warriors Fall to No. 5 Azusa Pacific
AZUSA, Calif. - In the final game of the 2007 Cougar Classic, Corban's men's soccer team fell to the NAIA's No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific, 2-0, as the Warriors were the victim of a pair of second half goals by the defending national runners-up on Saturday at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
Following a scoreless first half with the two-time defending NAIA runners-up, Corban watched as the 2006 NAIA national tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player Steven Lenhart scored the game's first goal just over two minutes into the second half. Lenhart stole the ball deep in the Warriors' defense, turned, and rifled a shot that deflected off Corban's sophomore net-minder Aaron Franklin (Red Bluff, Calif.) and into the back of the goal. This was Lenhart's fifth straight goal for Azusa Pacific, as the senior scored all four goals in APU's 4-2 victory over California State University-San Marcos yesterday.
A mere two-and-a-half minutes after the host Cougars took the lead, APU's Mike Pertz was thrown out of the game via a red card following a hard foul on Corban junior Justin Lucia (Anchorage, Alaska) and forced the nationally-ranked APU to play a man down for the final 43-plus minutes.
Despite playing down a man, the high-powered and nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific did not let up and added an insurance goal in the 73rd minute when 2006 All-American 3rd team member Sven Simon converted on the game's lone penalty kick.
The final 15-plus minutes of the game was very physical with the Warriors being called on four fouls compared to Azusa Pacific's one, but neither team could crack the opposition's defense.
Franklin manned Corban's net for the entire game and registered a game-high eight saves, while Azusa Pacific's defense held the Warriors without a shot therefore resulting in the Cougars' goalkeeper Tyler Stromberg needing to not make a save en route to securing the shutout.
At the completion of its California trip, Corban is now 2-2-0 overall, while Azusa Pacific remains unbeaten in its first four games of the 2007 season at 4-0-0 overall. The Warriors are next in action on Tuesday, September 11th, when they return to Cascade Collegiate Conference play against the Thunderbirds of Cascade beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Portland.