Biola lacrosse begins 2010 with high hopes. They are coming off a 2009 campaign that saw them go undefeated in their division and claim wins over big name universities including Cal State Fullerton and USC.
The team was kept out of the playoffs though, serving the back end of an academic probation punishment from an issue at the end of the 2008 season. The Eagles are ranked No. 14 in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division II pre-season rankings.
“Resuming their postseason eligibility after the two-year ban has the players naturally looking toward the Promised Land,” writes Lacrosse Magazine writer Jac Coyne. “[Head coach Aaron] Klett is keeping them grounded, but still allowing them to establish their objectives. With their new healthy outlook on lacrosse, there’s no telling how far the Eagles can go.”
“The Eagles are the great unknown and have the talent to shake the whole thing up,” Coyne says about Biola in an MCLA pre-season article.” He later projected Biola to finished the season No. 10 and advance to the quarterfinals of the national tournament in Denver, Colo.
The Eagles opened their season Wednesday, February 3 against St. Mary’s College. The game was tight throughout. It was tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter, and Biola led 3-2 at the half. The scoring picked up in the second half and Biola led 7-6 with less than two minutes to play when the Gaels scored to tie the game 7-7 and send it into overtime. After two defensive stops, and with 1:45 remaining in OT, sophomore midfielder David Sigley broke free on the fast break and found sophomore attackman Adam Kingston who scored with 1:36 left on the clock to give the Eagles an opening-night 8-7 win.
Senior midfielder Jordan Adams led the offense with three goals, and Kingston added two assists to his one goal. Senior attackmen Billy McMahan and Alex Bustrum, senior midfielder Andrew Acker, and freshmen midfielder Scott Gamelson each added a goal of their own. Senior goalkeeper Jonathan Lowell had ten saves in the win.
“It’s not often a team finds their identity in the first game,” Adams said to the team after the game. “But that is what we just did.”
“It was tough a game,” Head coach Aaron Klett said. “We played scrappy and did what we needed to do. Now we have to move forward.”
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Eagles played host to Division I Claremont in a tough, early-season test. Adams, Kingston, and McMahan each found the back of the net, but Biola was overmatched in a 13-3 defeat, dropping their record on the season to 1-1.
“It was a test for us,” Senior captain McMahan said after the game. “We have a lot to work on, but there were also some good things to take out of this game. Now we just have to work harder.”
The highlight of the day for the Eagles was Lowell who saved a whopping 20 shots, including several 1-on-1 opportunities.
The Eagles are off for two weeks before traveling to Las Vegas for the Full House Face Off February 19-20. The Eagle’s next home game is Saturday, February 27 against Long Beach State at 1 p.m.
