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Above: VC Alum Brandon Stirm crosses the
ball at the NAIA National tournament in Daytona Beach, FL.
Azusa Pacific Men's Soccer
reaches National Championship final game 11/21
When Donny Dequine and
Brandon Stirm selected Azusa Pacific University, they knew they were
joining a program that had a history of success. The APU Cougars
are perennial GSAC contenders, but they had only attended one National
Championship tournament, in 1996.
In Dequine's sophomore
season, and Stirms freshman year, the Cougars went to the National
tourney for the second time. Brandon Stirm contributed 7 goals and
10 assists on that team, and earned 1st Team All GSAC as a freshman.
This season, Stirm has 4 goals and 9 assists, so far...That gives the VC
Alum 11 goals and 19 assists, and he's still an underclassmen!
Last season, Stirm's two
goals led the Cougars to their first ever NAIA National tourney victory.
They went on to lose in the Quarterfinals. This season had higher
expectations, with most of the team returning. The team has
reached unprecedented heights, with Stirm and Dequine playing active
roles.
Monday night, in Daytona
Beach Florida, the Cougars handed Hastings (Neb.) a 4-0 loss. In
the game, Stirm assisted on two of the 4 goals, and both Dequine and
Stirm started in the game.
After the game vcsoccer.com
caught up with the APU star.
"It is unbelievable
that we're in the championship game. At the beginning of the
season, our goal was to win the NAIA National Championship. We
knew we had the talent, and here we are." Stirm said after the game.
When asked how he liked
playing with ex-VC star Donny Dequine, Stirm said: "Donny did really
well today. He is my best friend, so it's really cool to know that he's
out there with me."
The APU squad will be
playing Lindsey Wilson in the final on Tuesday 11/22, the team that beat
them last year. Lindsey Wilson's only loss of the season came at the
hands of Auburn Montgomery, who APU beat in the Quarter-finals 2-1.
Check back for the results
of the game. You can also find the APU website's recap here. |
