June 28, 2021 – Azusa, CA –
Azusa Pacific University’s season was cancelled last season due to covid. The school didn’t have the opportunity to avenge its 2019 season. Azusa Pacific’s 2019 season was remarkable, as they went undefeated and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II men’s tournament.
The team was ranked number one then the eight ranked Colorado school of mines upset Azusa Pacific by a score of 2-1. The main question now is, can they pull it off again this upcoming season?
Because the idea is not impossible. The team still retains the majority of the players from that season, such as James Ndubueze, who scored 18 goals in the 2019 season. With that sort of talent, the team should be solid. The school is led by the same coach for 12 seasons, David Blomquist has a 139-55-13 record (.703), placing him at No. 2 on the program’s all-time winning list. He is just over 40 wins short of the top spot.
The major issue for this team right now is how they will perform in their first game back since 2019. As a result, the team will not be flawless from the start, and the team they will face in their first game back has an advantage. Azusa Pacific is in a tricky situation since Simon Fraser University will have played three games before meeting the cougars
The Cougars’ hardest opponent will be Cal State Los Angeles. In 2019, the Golden Eagles had a 19-3 overall record, which is incredible considering. This is only the Cougars’ second opponent of the season. Again, the teams haven’t played in an official NCAA game in two years, so most are as rusty as the Cougars.
Can they repeat their success from 2019? Maybe because this team has a difficult schedule ahead of them, particularly their second game of the season. Now, if they can win convincingly versus Cal State, they have a shot; if they lose by a large margin, they don’t.
