Maintaining their undefeated season, the Biola men’s soccer team soared over the Antelope Valley Pioneers 2-0 on Sept. 9.
The Eagles dominated the opening minutes led by junior forward Stephen Tanquary, who registered two shots on goal. At the 10 minute mark, an offensive surge developing off a corner kick resulted in junior midfielder John Hanscom giving Biola a 1-0 lead. Quickly after Hanscom’s goal, Tanquary added another point after a strategically placed pass from freshman defence Clayton Mohler.
Biola entered the half recording seven shots on goal, six corner kicks, and a 2-0 margin; the score would stay this way until the end of the game after a scoreless second half. Junior starting goaltender JT Addington faced down three shots throughout the entire game and successfully handled two corner kicks.
Although the second half was scoreless, the intensity of the game never varied. Both goal scorers exhibited fancy footwork with Tanquary nearly missing a bicycle kick and Hanscom expertly hurdling an opposing slide tackle. In the fleeting minutes of the game, the Pioneers pushed for one last strike, but to no avail as the Eagle’s defense stood concrete.
Head coach Todd Elkins was happy with the win, and when asked about the team’s effort he stated, “I was pleased that we scored early. I was disappointed when we eased up after the second goal. It was hard to pull the game back in our favor, and we didn’t play as hard as we did in the first twenty minutes.”
Despite the team’s lowered tempo in the second half, the Eagles were able to emerge victorious. The Eagles have a long season ahead to fix any complications in their play. The team hopes to continue their success Sept. 13 when they face off against Our Lady of the Lake University in Prescott, AZ.
