Christian Heritage 1
EL CAJON, Calif. -- Senior All-American Stephanie Bays scored a career-high 4 goals and assisted on another as the NAIA’s No. 2-ranked Azusa Pacific overwhelmed Christian Heritage, 6-1, in a GSAC match Saturday in El Cajon.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 8-0-1 overall, 4-0 GSAC. Christian Heritage falls to 8-3-1, 1-3.
The Cougars scored 3 goals in each half and out-shot the Hawks, 23-7, including a 15-4 mark in the first half.
The 6-goal outburst is the most goals scored by the Cougars this season, and for a team that had just 15 goals in their first 7 games, the Cougars have erupted for 8 in the past 2.
It was a “Stephanie” party in the first 10 minutes as Bays and Stephanie Weber hooked up twice to beat Christian Heritage keeper Stephanie Clegg in the first 10 minutes to give the Cougars a quick 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Bays served a ball to Weber, who headed it past Clegg in the seventh minute for her third goal of the season. Just 3 minutes later, Weber returned the favor and set Bays for her second goal of the year and first of 4 today.
The Cougar defense, which has been rock-solid the entire season, stumbled in the 23rd minute and surrendered an unassisted goal to Mary Willis that cut the deficit in half. It was just the second goal allowed this year by the Cougar defense as well as just the second goal allowed to the Hawks in 4 meetings all time.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, Bays scored her second of the game off an assist by Angela James to give the Cougars a 3-1 halftime lead.
She was just getting warmed up as 3 minutes into the second half, Bays scored a pair of goals just 43 seconds apart, one of them assisted by Stephanie Hannemann, to balloon the lead to 5-1.
Freshman Taryn Caylor rounded out the onslaught with her second goal of the year in the 64th minute off an assist by Julie Fennel.
The Cougars travel to Riverside Wednesday for a date with No. 21-ranked California Baptist, which advanced to the NAIA Quarterfinals last year. The Cougars have won 15 in a row over the Lancers, including last year’s 2-0 win in Riverside.
