Box Score

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - It is one of the unwritten rules in sports that it is tough to beat any team for a third time in a season and the Point Loma women's soccer team experienced that on Friday (Dec. 6) when it fell 2-0 to Azusa Pacific in the NCCAA semifinals.

The Sea Lions (12-8-1) had taken down the Cougars (15-3-1) twice in their previous four matches by the score of 2-0, including a win at APU for the NCCAA Regional Championship. However, this was a different match altogether.

Azusa Pacific score on the Sea Lions for the first time this season when Mayra Almazan knocked in the first of her two goals in the 42nd minute off a cross to give APU its first lead over PLNU in 222 minutes of play between the two teams this season.

Almazan would register her second goal of the match in the 67th minute to help the Cougars seal the win.

Ariel Oriarte made a career-high nine saves in the loss. The goal in the first half also snapped her streaks of four consecutive shutouts and 426 scoreless minutes.

"I have to give Azusa Pacific credit," said Point Loma head coach Tim Hall. "Jason Surrell is a great coach and his program is always there at the end.

"We got outplayed today but I am proud of our women because they did not stop," Hall continued. "With some of the adjustments we had to make in the game I was very impressed with the way the women stepped up and played until the final whistle. I am very proud of them and it turned out to be a very good year."

Point Loma had to come back from halftime without their two starting center defensive backs, both of which never returned to the game. Forward Dottie Rhoten also left midway through the match with an injury but PLNU continued to battle right up until the final horn 

"Everyone we put out their today fought until the end," said coach Hall. "We had to battle through losing those three starters, and we still give credit to APU, but I am so proud of everyone of my players for stepping up today and battling them till the end."

The Sea Lions had to fight to even get to this match as they were the No. 7 seed in the tournament, the lowest in their pool. They fought No. 3 seed Grace to a 0-0 tie in the opener and then shutout the No. 4 seed Judson 3-0 in their second match to win their pool with four points.

"To get to this point and get out of pool play the women played some very good soccer," Hall continued. "They deserved to get out of their pool as the best team and they deserved to be in this match. They just ran into a tougher Azusa team today."

Although the season ends in a loss it was a year that coach Hall and the entire Point Loma women's soccer team can be proud of.

"This was a great year," Hall explained. "It started slowly and we had to figure some things out. We didn't some players I expected this year because of injuries but every team has to deal with that. So we had to put people in positions they typically wouldn't play, but they all did well. I feel like with the teams we played and some of the things we had to do, I am very happy with this year."