SOCCER (M)

9/30/09 - Cougars Offer Too Many Weapons For Royals To Fend Off

Azusa, CA- A goal seven minutes into the match by the #2 Cougars set the tone for the rest of the match as the Royals could not stop all their weapons and fell 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon.  Sophomore Franky Atonya scored for the Royals on bicycle kick in the box in the 83rd minute.

The Cougars (9-0, 2-0 GSAC) came out in complete control of the first twenty plus minutes and built an insurmountable 3-0 lead.  They opened the scoring in the 7th minute on a made penalty kick by Vini Dantas.  Six minutes later Dantas added his second goal of the game from close range after a pass from the right side.  Their third goal was not without dispute as Reid Baker headed in a corner kick in the 22nd minute that appeared to not go completely over the line before the Royals (5-2-3, 0-1-1 GSAC) cleared the ball.

From the third goal through the end of the half, the Royals played evenly with the Cougars.  In fact, HIU out shot APU 3-2 in that time frame.

After the break, the Royals continued their pressure as they fired off the first three shots of the half forcing Cougars’ Goalkeeper Tyler Stromberg to make two saves (7 saves total on the day).

In the 75th and 88th minute, the Cougars showed off their depth as two subs each added a goal to give the Cougars their final tally of 5 goals.

Sandwiched in between the final two APU goals were the Royals showing that they were not going down without a fight.

In the 81st minute, after a HIU foul in the box, Sophomore Tyler Golden denied the ensuing penalty kick for one of his four saves in his first start of the season in the net. 

Finally, the Royals found the back of the net after Juniors Adrian La Farge and Perris Rowan connected with Rowan sending a ball into the box that found Atonya.  Atonya thrilled the fans by flipping his feet over his head with his back to the net to score a rare bicycle goal.  La Farge and Rowan were both credited with an assist for their part in the play.

The last chance for the Royals came in the 87th minute after a Cougar foul when Freshman Edgar Bran took the free kick and drilled it off the post.

On Saturday, the men will host Vanguard at Cal State Fullerton as the back end of a double header with the women.  Kickoff for the men’s game is scheduled for 2:30 pm.

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