Despite scoring in the last minute to force overtime, Biola could not overcome Point Loma Nazarene in a 2-1 loss. The Eagles outshot the Sea Lions 12-5 but could only get one goal past the Point Loma keeper, who made four saves.
Though Biola consistently attacked the Point Loma goal, they did not get a break until the 90th minute. With time running out, junior keeper Aaron Fenlason left the net and moved the ball downfield. Fenlason sent the ball into the box, where senior Phillip Friehe deflected it to senior Graham Foster. Foster received the pass in front of the Sea Lion goal and put a header in the back of the net. This evened the score at 1-1 and sent the teams to overtime. But it only took six minutes for Point Loma to score.
Each team took the field with its own strategy. Biola played tough, pressuring the Sea Lion defense. Point Loma was calculated, waiting for open opportunities.
Within the first 20 minutes, Biola only took one shot and Point Loma none. Then, in the 21st minute, senior Jacob Ravenscraft took the ball forward and had a chance to score. But the keeper stopped the shot. After one more Biola try, Point Loma found itself with an opportunity. Sea Lion Erick Melendez rushed downfield and saw that Fenlason was not in goal. Before Fenlason could get back, Melendez kicked from a distance, scoring in the 34th minute on the open net. As the first half came to an end, the defenses were in control.
In the second half Biola was dominant. Point Loma was only allowed two unsuccessful early shots. In the 68th minute junior Zach Bautista took a shot but was shut down by the keeper. Soon after, Friehe made an attempt to score but was also stopped by the keeper. Trying again to get Biola on the board, Bautista approached the net but sent the shot to the keeper. After this, Foster gave the Eagles hope with his timely goal. Before the end of regulation, freshman Dylan Wingrove got possession and tried to claim the lead, unfortunately sending the shot wide.
The Eagles now have a 4-4 GSAC record and are 6-8-1 overall. This keeps them fifth in the conference. Check up on rankings here.
