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AZUSA, Calif. – After scoring twice late in the first half, the Seattle Pacific men succumbed to a second-period onslaught at Azusa Pacific as Gabriel Costa struck for the equalizer and then then late winner, 3-2, Thursday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
 
Jake Ferry and Jason Schmidt, both non-starters, had staked the Falcons to a 2-0 halftime lead. SPU falls to 0-3-0 for the first time since 2003.
 
"In the first half I thought our game plan was perfect and we executed at a high level. As a result we go into the half up 2-0," said Mark Collings, in his 11th season as SPU's head coach.
 
The Cougars (2-1-0) have proven to be a second-half team with all eight of their goals scored after intermission early this season. Costa connected from long range to make it 2-2 in the 74th minute and scored his third goal in as many games to win it with 10:09 remaining.
 
SPU nearly regained the lead seconds earlier. Schmidt was denied by Nathanael Lindquist 's diving stop before Azusa quickly countered. Arturo Astorga and David Kwinn interchanged passes at the top of the box before leaving it for Costa to crash home into the upper right corner.
 
"Azusa is a very good team. They have a lot of talent going forward," Collings said. "We fell into some traps and their kid had a quality finish to win the game."
 
The Falcons' final shot at sending the game into overtime was a glancing header by Luke Postma from a corner kick in the 84th minute that flashed wide left.
 
Kwinn had ignited the comeback by scoring two minutes into the second half.
 
"The goal on the set piece early in the second half kind of put us on our heels. It really just gave them some momentum and changed the tide of the game," Collings described. "We were just trying to hang on and not really continuing to do what we were doing in the first half."
 
Senior Kary Whitney, making his first start of the year in goal for SPU, thwarted Kwinn with strong saves in the 64th and 71st minutes, but soon after Costa scored. His low drive from 30 yards eluded everyone, including an apparently screened Whitney, to find the right corner at 73:58.
 
The black-clad Falcons, coming off an overtime loss at Sonoma State, weathered some early pressure before their high press in the APU end produced their first chance. Titus Grant won the ball and sent a ball across the face of goal before it was turned out for the first of three successive corners. On the third, Ed Weise's header was bound for the left corner before being cleared off the line by a defender.

 

Tenacious play upfield twice paid dividends within three minutes late in the opening half. Chris Cole came off the bench and soon stripped a Cougars defenseman outside his own box. Cole was driving toward the endline before blazing his cross to a wide-open Ferry for a tap-in at the far post.
 
The red-shirt freshman scored in his collegiate debut. Ferry attended Seattle Pacific last year, but did not participate with the soccer team.
 
SPU's first lead of the young season was doubled in the 43rd minute. Following a free kick, Schmidt kicked home a loose ball from 6 yards.
 
Although Azusa Pacific levied seven first-half shots, only one caused alarm. Pagani headed against the crossbar in the 27th minute.
 
The Falcons complete the stretch of four straight road games by visiting San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday afternoon. Game time is 2 p.m.
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018
Cougar Soccer Complex / Azusa, Calif.
 
at Azusa Pacific 3, Seattle Pacific 2
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Jake Ferry (Chris Cole) 40:23; 2, SPU, Jason Schmidt (unassisted) 43:20; 3, APU, David Kwinn (Bruno Pagani) 46:59; 4, APU, Gabriel Costa (unassisted) 73:58; 5, APU, Costa (Kwinn, Arturo Astorga) 79:51.
 
Seattle Pacific      2   0  --   2
Azusa Pacific        0   3  --   3
 
Shots – SPU 9, APU 17
Shots on Goal – SPU 4, APU 7
Saves – SPU 4 (Kary Whitney), APU 2 (Brendan Fix 1/Nathanael Lindquist 1)
Corner kicks – SPU 7, APU 8
Fouls – SPU 15, APU 7
Offsides – SPU 2, APU 0
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 0-3-0
Azusa Pacific 2-1-0
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Point Loma Nazarene
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2:00 p.m. PDT
PLNU Soccer Field / San Diego, Calif.