Biola women’s soccer began Golden State Athletic Conference play on Sept. 23 with a win against Arizona Christian University. They ended their season on Nov. 7 with a tough loss to Vanguard.
In the second round of GSAC playoffs, the Eagles fell to the Lions by just one goal scored by Vanguard’s freshman midfielder Nicole Dunn in double overtime. It created a devastating moment for Biola as they watched their season end.
“When Vanguard got their goal we were all speechless, from the coaches to the field players, we were all speechless,” said senior defender Michelle Clark.
The match proved competitive, and while Biola had 13 total shooting attempts, seven on goal, they never put points on the scoreboard. The team had only two other non-scoring games all season.
Standouts during this game included senior goalkeeper Briana Williams and sophomore forward Taylor Venegas. Williams had eight saves for the Eagles while Venegas worked the other side of the field and took five shots at the Lions’ goal.
In the end, the Lions took victory over the Eagles 1-0.
A LOOK BACK
The Eagles had an overall season record of 13-6 and finished 6-4 in conference play, putting them in fourth place in GSAC standings. This placement falls right below The Master’s College and one spot ahead of Concordia.
The team started to find their rhythm as they pushed through preseason, winning six games and only losing two.
“Having such a successful preseason really prepared us to come into conference play with confidence and motivation that we could do something great this year,” said Clark.
As they coasted into conference play, the team quickly proved themselves as tough and competitive. They won the first five games in GSAC but faced their first loss on Oct. 14 against Concordia.
The women suffered some during the end of the season, racking up losses game by game. They made it through to playoffs and took on Concordia for the first game of the postseason.
In an incredible effort, Biola swept the Irvine based Eagles 3-0 and made up for the loss they faced to Concordia earlier in the season.
“The end of our season was rough. We lost four out of five games and it was a very challenging end,” said senior midfielder Shea Davis. “However, we found a way to fight at the end, such as beating Concordia in the first round of playoffs and then battling really hard in our last game at Vanguard.”
In the end, the most beneficial thing about this year’s team included their mindset of teamwork and positive attitude.
As a senior, Davis looks back and attests to this fact, “This season was the most enjoyable season I have ever played. The girls worked so hard everyday and we all got along so well.”
