AZUSA, Calif. – Playing amidst hot and smoky conditions in Azusa, Calif., on Saturday night, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team engineered a dominating performance against Azusa Pacific University as they secured a 4-1 decision for their first victory of the 2024 season.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 4, APU 1
Records: UCCS (1-0-1, 0-0-0 RMAC), APU (1-1-0, 0-0-0 PACWEST)
Facility: APU Cougar Soccer Complex |Azusa, Calif.
All-Time Series: Saturday evening's matchup against the Cougars was the first in UCCS program history.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After taking the opening kickoff of Saturday evening's matchup against the Cougars, the UCCS offense came out of the gates with a fast and furious pace as it took them less than three minutes to drive deep into their attacking zone and net the first goal of the match. The Mountain Lion's third-minute goal came on an early corner kick opportunity with freshman Sean Belzer sending a bending crosser into the box, where junior Rory Scott was able to head the ball into the nylon for the 1-0 advantage.
• Following two more promising corner kick chances in the fifth and ninth minutes that came up short of the frame, the Mountain Lions managed to find the net for their second goal of the match in the 12^th minute with junior Nick Walker converting on a penalty kick opportunity after drawing a foul inside the penalty area while dribbling towards the box.
• Despite their commanding 2-0 advantage, UCCS continued to push the tempo on the offensive end as they spent much of the remainder of the half on the attack and had multiple strong opportunities to net another goal. Although none of their ensuing chances came to fruition, the Mountain Lion defense held up their end of the bargain, holding the Cougars to just three total shots in the period to maintain their 2-0 lead at the intermission.  
• It took just about a minute into the second half for the Mountain Lions to put up more offensive fireworks as freshman Diego Macias gained control of the ball, drove towards the net, and threaded a pass to Walker, who collected the ball and made a quick move to evade the goalkeeper before tapping the ball between the sticks for his second goal of the game and a 3-0 UCCS lead in the 47^th minute.
• The Mountain Lions continued their offensive onslaught in the 77^th minute with freshman Dillon Clarke and junior Cole Venable teaming up for the team's fourth goal of the match. Clarke would initiate the scoring opportunity with a shot on goal that was deflected by APU goalkeeper Alexis Rodriguez and bounced free just in front of the net. Venable found himself in excellent position to corral the deflected shot and easily struck it into the back of the webbing for his first goal of the season.
• Azusa Pacific would break the clean sheet in the final seconds of the match after being gifted a penalty kick, but it was not enough to overshadow a powerful all-around showing as the Mountain Lions collected their first win of the young season by a score of 4-1.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• The Mountain Lions held a commanding advantage in every offensive category as they outpaced the Cougars in shots (15-6), shots on goal (9-4), and corner kicks (6-0).
• Walker led the offensive barrage for UCCS, scoring a pair of goals and leading the team with four total shots and two shots on goal across 56 minutes of action.
• Scott tallied his first score of the season with his header in the third minute, while Venable also collected his first goal of the campaign. Belzer, Clarke, and Macias were each credited with their first assists of the season.
• Goalkeeper Soren Russell played the entire 90 minutes in frame for UCCS and enjoyed an excellent defensive performance in front of him as he faced just six total shots on the evening. The junior netminder made three saves while allowing a goal on the last second penalty kick by the Cougars.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With their second successful penalty kick of the season in the 12^th minute, the Mountain Lions surpassed their season total from 2023, when they went 1-for-4 on PK opportunities.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will open their home schedule next week as they welcome University of Texas Tyler into Mountain Lion Stadium for a non-conference matchup on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m.

 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics. 
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