Senior forward Carlos Ballesteros gets pulled back by a Westmont rival while dribbling down the field during the game on October 12. | Katie Evensen/THE CHIMES
What has been a gloomy week for men’s soccer was left in the past on Saturday night following Biola’s 4-1 victory over Westmont College at Al Barbour Field. Following back-to-back Golden State Athletic Conference losses, the Eagles finally found the momentum needed to bounce back thanks to a hat trick from senior striker Daniel Chew.
Chew tallied all three of his goals within the first 20 minutes of the game, all within the span of 10 minutes.
Senior defender Scott Hayes sent a cross into the box in the 11th minute, which was controlled by Chew and blasted in for his first score. Three minutes later, Chew intercepted a pass and drove down the field, side-stepping the keeper and slotting the ball into the goal. He scored his hat trick in the 19th minute, blasting his 10th goal of the season into the net.
Westmont had several opportunities to get back into the game, but was not able to take advantage of those opportunities until the second half. Emmanuel Akyen scored in the 58th minute, but it was the only score the Mustangs saw all night.
Despite the overwhelming amount of pressure from Westmont in the second half, the Eagles stayed strong and held the Mustangs at bay. Sophomore midfielder Joey O’Keefe scored in the 83rd minute to seal the game for Biola.
They move to 8-2-1 overall, but more importantly, get back to an even 2-2 in GSAC play. This also vaults them to third in the conference standings.
The biggest takeaway from the game was Biola regaining their confidence in scoring. Despite starting the season with a nine-game unbeaten streak, the Eagles have dropped the last two, both to GSAC opponents. During both losses, the Eagles had scored only once, while allowing four.
Biola will look to start another streak this Wednesday in El Cajon against San Diego Christian College. With a 3 p.m. kickoff slated, the men will seek to pressure and get on the scoring sheet early on in the match.