Freshman Sarah Song works for better position as she makes a play on the ball. | Tyler Otte/THE CHIMES

Biola women’s lacrosse fell 16-3 against shorthanded California State University Long Beach on Saturday, March 10. The Eagles drop to 1-7 on the year and remain winless in Western Women’s Lacrosse League play with an 0-4 record.

The Eagles took the field and recognized there was a sizable difference in the number of opposing players. Normally 12 players take the field at a time, but Cal State Long Beach only had 10. After a quick meeting, the Eagles decided to play with 11 players, to keep things fair. This approach did not last, as they fell behind 10-2 at the half, before playing with 12 the rest of the way.

Biola stands out from other competitors

The impact of their decision spoke louder than their play could have. After the game, the opposing team commented about Biola being different from most teams in the league.

“The coach told us she was so appreciative that we actually played one down,” team captain junior Courtney Cocoris said. “They have had no other teams that have done that for them. … It was a big deal, to go through that having another team sacrifice a player for them.”

After the game, the Eagles offered to pray with the opposing team, who accepted their offer. They have offered to pray with opposing teams in previous games, especially last season.

“Our goal as a team was to make the team a ministry,” sophomore attacker Jessica Boldt said.

Boldt scored one of Biola’s three goals in the game. Freshmen April Hardy and Jessica Land also contributed one goal each.

Long Beach keeper Rachel Wantuch controlled the game, stopping 27 of 30 shots. Freshman Margot Ganatta tossed in five goals and added two assists to lead the 49ers to a winning effort.

The Eagles came into the season expecting two goaltenders, but lost one to injuries and another who could not return to Biola. Freshman Bree Williams took the opportunity and has thrived in the position, ranking third in saves in the WWLL Division II.

Eagles look forward to improvement

The Eagles recognize that they are still a young team and have plenty of room for improvement. This season Biola is carrying only five returners from last season, which was their first year as a team. They also realize many have not played lacrosse before now, so they look forward to the increase in experience. They have recently added a coach who signed on for two years. Next season should also look brighter as they will only be losing one player to graduation.

“Even though we are losing a lot we are still having a good attitude about it,” said junior Rebecca Young regarding their 1-7 overall record.

The Eagles play their final game of the season on Saturday, March 31 against California State University Fullerton at Biola.