On a night where women’s soccer was looking for a push from their offense, they got just what they needed.
The Eagles broke a three-game scoring drought and overcame Hope International University at home 3-0. Biola took 36 shots in comparison to the Royals’ six.
The game had huge implications for playoffs. The Eagles came into the game sixth in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings but tied with Hope International with four points.
With only three games remaining in the regular season, a win could lead to a playoff spot. A loss, and the Eagles could find themselves scrambling in the GSAC standings.
With losing their playoff position on the line, the Eagles came out looking like a post-season team.
After taking eight shots in the first 15 minutes, senior defender Michelle Andre got the Eagles on the board. Andre received a pass in the air from junior defender Michelle Clark and headed it home to grab her first goal of the season.
BIOLA SECURES TOURNAMENT SPOT
Biola finished the first half with a total of 17 shots and only allowed four. The Royals looked completely out of sync and were scrambling to keep possession and move down the field.
The Eagles came out of the locker room the same way they started the first half, racking up six shots early on. Chrissy King doubled Biola’s lead in the 80th minute. The senior forward received a pass from freshman midfielder Jessie Burns, driving down the field and slipping a ball past the HUI keeper, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Burns scored a goal of her own six minutes later as junior midfielder Amanda Lillicrop found the freshman open in the box for her fourth of the season. The 3-0 score would hold as the Eagles won their first game in two weeks.
While still holding onto a positive record of 8-6-1, the Eagles are 2-4-1 in the GSAC. Biola’s two conference wins have come against the two teams below them in the standings, Hope International and Arizona Christian University.
Biola has yet to score a goal against any of the five teams ahead of them in the standings, posting a -7 goal differential.
If this team has any aspirations of moving forward in the post-season, they need to score against top teams. With four out of the five teams ranked 15 or better in NAIA, the journey to the national tournament will be no cake walk.
However, this team still has some fight in them. With a Saturday afternoon game against Concordia University Irvine looming, the Eagles have a chance to prove they are a force to be reckoned with in the GSAC.
