Sophomore Steven Tanquary wins the ball back during the game versus Westminster earlier this season. Men's soccer remains undefeated through seven games and ranks eighth in the nation. | Kalli Thommen/THE CHIMES
With more than a third of the 2013 season in the books, Todd Elkin’s squad has taken many in the Golden State Athletic Conference and the nation by surprise.
Two different seasons
Biola men’s soccer is undefeated through seven games, ranked eighth in the nation and atop the GSAC as the only ranked team. Their singular blemish came last week in a 0-0 tie at the hands of No. 22 Cal State San Marcos.
The match proved to be a defensive statement for the Eagles to the rest of the league, something they were never able to accomplish in 2012.
The turnaround over the last year has been noticeable to say the least.
This time last season, Biola was 4-2-1 and, thanks to clutch goals from then freshmen John Hanscom and Joey O’Keefe, were on the verge of taking the GSAC by storm. However, the success wasn’t consistent and the Eagles flopped back and forth between wins and losses over the rest of the season.
The Eagles have built up quite an impressive rapport this season. Their wins include overtime victories against former rival Azusa Pacific University and No. 14 Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Biola currently holds a +12 goal differential on the season, and have a .57 goals allowed per game average against opponents.
Biola hasn’t been scored on since Sept. 6, when they took down Wesleyan in overtime. Currently holding onto a 318 minute shutout streak, the Eagles have produced some phenomenal defending despite the loss of junior defender Joao Toscan, who went down with a knee injury in the Wesleyan game.
Standout performances improve overall quality
Leading the Eagles in goals for the year is senior forward Daniel Chew with five. The real surprise in the season, though, is the breakout of sophomore midfielder Stephen Tanquary.
Tanquary’s most impressive performance came against OK Wesleyan, where he scored the equalizer in the 80th minute to send the game to overtime 10 minutes later. He then scored the game-winner five minutes into overtime to upset the No. 14 team in the nation.
The sophomore tallied five goals over the entire 2012 season as a freshman, and with four goals in three games this year appears to be establishing himself as a successful goalscorer for the Eagles.
Other notable performances include senior forward Carlos Ballesteros and sophomore midfielder Joey O’Keefe. Each have recorded two goals for the Eagles, with O’Keefe adding an assist as well.
Both players seem to contribute as playmakers within the attack. O’Keefe works as a distributor in the middle of the field, tying the offense and the defense together. Ballesteros plays a holding attacker position and is responsible for dropping back while on defense to help contain the oppositions midfield.
With a variety of contributing players in the form of both starters and off the bench, depth for the Eagles has been a major factor throughout the season.
Defense wins championships
One of the biggest changes between the 2012 and 2013 campaign is the emphasis on defense. Biola has recorded five shutouts on the season, which surpasses the four shutouts recorded by the Eagles during the entire last season.
Goalkeeper JT Addington has also contributed to the Eagles’ success. The sophomore sat on the bench for most of the 2012 season behind fellow sophomore Joshua Crichton, but has proven to be a valuable asset to the Eagles’ defense.
The experienced defensive line has helped take a good deal of pressure off Addington in the defensive third, but the netminder still has had to make big plays down the stretch. Addington has 18 saves on the season, posting an impressive .85 save percentage.
This defense has dominated several top teams, and proves they can hang with anyone they go up against.
The men now look toward their single route to the NAIA championships: the GSAC. With conference play starting up on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at home against The Master’s College, the Eagles are poised to get off on the right foot and continue surprising everyone.
