LOS ANGELES, Calif — Occidental (1-0-0) won 2-0 over Azusa Pacific (0-1-0) on Tuesday at W.C. Patterson Field at Jack Kemp Stadium.
The Tigers scored once in each half and recorded a shutout while Azusa Pacific finished with a 19-11 shot advantage. The Tigers put six shots on goal, converted one penalty kick and got seven saves over 90 minutes to keep Azusa Pacific scoreless, backed by
Carlos Abram's seven saves.
Elijah Edelman's penalty kick at 14:15 accounted for the first-half scoring, and the Tigers protected that goal through halftime. Earlier, the Tigers created chances through
Andrew Lee's shot saved by Alexis Rodriguez in the sixth minute,
Ethan Carr's attempt over the frame and
Torben Kroeger's shot after a 12:57 corner.
Azusa Pacific answered with pressure after the goal, but Abram saved shots from a pair of shots while the Tigers also earned back-to-back corners in the 26th and 27th minutes. The Tigers managed three yellow cards before halftime and withstood two Azusa Pacific corners in the final nine minutes, including a late shot by Ademola, to finish the half ahead 1-0.
The Tigers played most of the second half a man down after
Matthew Shea's red card in the 49th minute, but still added to their lead when
Charlie Miller scored in the 77th off assists from Carr and
Yordan Marinov to make it 2-0.
Earlier, the Tigers opened the half with immediate pressure, as Edelman and
Andrew Lee each put shots on frame in the first 65 seconds before Alexis Rodriguez saved both. Abram helped protect the advantage after Azusa Pacific pushed forward, making saves on Leke Ademola in the 64th minute and Joshua Lugo in the 65th.
After Miller's goal, Azusa Pacific generated several late chances, including a shot off the woodwork and four more saves from Abram, but the Tigers held the shutout through the final whistle for a 2-0 finish.
Tigers Top Performers
Elijah Edelman
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- one goal
- game-winning goal
- three shots, two on goal
Carlos Abram
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- seven saves
- one shutout
Charlie Miller
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- one goal
- one shot on goal
Ethan Carr
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- one assist
- two shots, one on goal
Yordan Marinov
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- one assist
The Tigers are 1-0-0 overall. Azusa Pacific is 0-1-0 overall.
