By Jacob Norling
September 23, 2023
 
(AZUSA, Calif.) Westmont Men's Soccer went head-to-head with PacWest rival Azusa Pacific on Saturday night, with the contest being a non-conference battle between the two. In their final match before official PacWest play, Westmont left the field with a hard-earned 0-0 draw.
 
For Westmont head coach Morgan Cathey the night was extra special, as Westmont's first-year coach played for the Cougars from 2002-05. Tonight was the first time that the 2005 NAIA All-American honorable mention had the privilege of coaching against APU.
 
"It felt like any other game leading up to it," reflected Cathey. "Once the national anthem was playing, it hit me. You just remember being on that field during those moments, and it all comes back to you. It was very sentimental.
 
"I got to be a part of the alumni day events that happened earlier, and it was really fun to be a part of. My college experience shaped me in a really impactful way, and I would say a big part of my desire to coach is just because I had such an impactful experience as a college soccer player. I owe a lot to the experience that I had at Azusa."
 
After the match, Cathey got to run into old teammate, Azusa's once-captain, Tony Rutonno, whom he hadn't seen in more than 15 years.
 
"Tony is a really amazing guy," said Cathey, "and it was so cool because Daniel Tuscano was there when I got to talk to Tony. Daniel came up and told Tony, 'man, I've heard stories about you'. It was pretty special bridging that gap with a couple captains."
 
On the field, Westmont and Azusa picked right up where they left off as old GSAC rivals, with a heated match involving a great amount of physicality.
 
"Before the game you could tell it had the feel of a big-time conference match," explained Cathey. "That is how it felt. There were a lot of challenges, and it was aggressive to the point where we heard quite a few whistles. There was a lot coming from both sides."
 
During the first 45 minutes of play both sides threatened on several occasions, but neither was able to find the back of the net. In the 18th minute APU had the night's first scoring opportunity, when Juancarlos Rodriguez snuck through Westmont's defense to put a shot on Brady Highfill. Calmly, Westmont's keeper was able to thwart the attempt to keep the game scoreless.
 
Westmont did not allow another shot on frame for the remainder of the half, and on the other end of things, Braeden Pryor knocked on the door on a couple occasions. Westmont's senior striker had the club's two shots on goal in the first half, with the most-dangerous coming in the 29th minute.
 
Westmont intercepted the ball in APU's third of the pitch, and sent Pryor into the box on a pass that went over-the-top of the Cougar's defense. Pryor raced towards the bouncing pass, as did APU keeper Leo Moreno. Pryor was the first man to get to it, flicking the ball towards the goal with a touch, but Moreno sprawled towards Pryor as the touch was taken, and was able to get a piece of the ball to deflect it out of bounds.
 
Neither side would post another shot on frame for the remainder of the half.
 
Five minutes into the second half Highfill was forced to make a play when APU's Zedan Mutlu fired from five yards beyond the top of the box on the far side of the field. Surprisingly, given how far out Mutlu's shot was, the attempt was one of the more dangerous looks of the night. Mutlu's ball shot like a frozen rope towards Highfill's right post, making the keeper rapidly shuffle to his right before leaping to block the shot. Luckily for Westmont, Highfill was able to swat the shot wide of his post to keep the Cougars off the board.
 
With 22 minutes left Highfill was forced to make his fourth save of the night when Sean Romo had a brief opening atop Westmont's box. Once again, however, the show rolled harmlessly into the hands of Westmont's keeper.
 
In the 83rd minute Issaka Salifu followed a pass into the box and fired another high-velocity shot on the frame as Highfill closed the gap between them. Salifu's intention was to challenge the 6'5" Highfill to come down for the ball as he skipped it along the grass. The shot almost snuck through Highfill's legs, but he was able to collapse on the ball at the last second to prevent the goal.
 
At the end of 90 minutes Westmont had been out-shot 12-5, and 5-2 on goal, but still, the Warriors left Azusa with a 0-0 draw thanks to their impenetrable backline.
 
"We made a few mistakes that led to moments of success for APU," acknowledged Cathey. "They're a very good team individually, and when you give individuals opportunities, they will punish you. I was really happy with the fact that we kept them at bay.
 
"We created a few high-quality chances, and conceded only a few as well. It was good to see us post a clean-sheet heading into September 30. APU plays a very rhythmic possession-based style of soccer, and I think we made them very uncomfortable throughout the match.
 
"Tonight, it was great to see that we're going to be able to impose ourselves the way I know we can."
 
Westmont's men will return to action on Saturday, September 30, at 4:00 p.m., when the team travels to battle Fresno Pacific in the program's first PacWest contest. Links to live coverage will be available on the Westmont Athletics website.