Biola men’s lacrosse wrapped up this season with a couple strong wins against the University of the Pacific and University of California, Irvine, but suffered a difficult loss to their team rival, the California State University, Fullerton Titans. Nevertheless, an earlier success against Occidental College gave the Eagles an opportunity to be in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference playoffs. After Pepperdine University withdrew from the playoffs because of a time conflict with the school’s graduation, the Eagles were called up two days before the quarterfinal match to take their place. With guys all over the country, thinking they were done playing lacrosse for the year, the team was unprepared and unable to assemble all of its players.
This blunder enabled the Eagles to enter playoffs for the second year in a row. Last year, they were victorious in quarterfinals against California State University, Long Beach, winning 19-3. Then came semifinals against Cal State Fullerton. Fullerton took off in the second quarter and never looked back, upsetting Biola in a 12-7 match.
This year, the Eagles, or the few that could make it in time for the game, faced Fullerton in the quarterfinals on April 30 at 1 p.m., knowing they would have a tough time ahead of them. “Every single guy on the team didn’t even touch their stick, or think about lacrosse during spring break,” said junior midfielder David Sigley, “just cause we thought we were done with the season, and we all kind of needed that break.” The Titans struck with two early goals after the face off. Junior attackman Marc Morgan gave Biola hope with the team’s first goal. Yet, the Titans kept hammering away, breaking through Eagle defenses, and getting past goalie Jimmy Perdomo-Hazen. By the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read Titans five, Eagles one.
In the second quarter, the Eagles found more success but so did the Titans. After two more Fullerton goals, Morgan gave Biola its second goal and made his way closer to a hat trick. Sigley racked another Biola goal minutes after, adding some momentum in the face of struggles. By the end of the second quarter, the Eagles put in two more goals, giving them five total. But the Titans tallied nine, giving them a total of 14 goals.
Fortunately, the defense really stepped up to the plate in the third quarter, holding the Titans to two goals, making every effort to turn the game around. Yet, the Eagle offense could not capitalize on the opportunities the defense offered, only scoring one goal. Their momentum was run down and led to a poor finish. “We came out flat,” said Sigley. “No one was really energized, there was really only a couple people throughout the game that showed much heart.”
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Biola was down 17-6. Only a miracle would have turned around their spirits and given them the energy to score 11 goals. The offense only scored two goals and the defense faltered, while the Titans finished strong. By the end of the match, the Eagles were out of the playoffs, losing 21-8.
Next season will be a year of growth and opportunity. Sigley will be entering his senior year and will continue to help lead the team, despite thinking against reprising his role as captain. The second captain position will be up for grabs also, as senior defenseman Justin Harrington finishes his Biola career. Although this is a loss, only two other players were seniors, which means most of the Eagles will be veterans next season. Morgan, Sigley, and rising stars like sophomore attackman Jeff Clark, sophomore midfielder Robby Roach and sophomore midfielder Scott Gamelson will help to build a strong offensive foundation. Many recruits will be joining the team in the fall, who have good lacrosse experience. Remember to keep up with next season. The summer should yield a team with championship potential. “We have incredibly high hopes for next year,” said Sigley enthusiastically.
Final team stats
