It has only been four games into the season and the men’s soccer team is showing promise. They have posted a 3-1 record with 13 goals and 39 shots on goal. In their first two games alone they scored 10 goals and have yielded only three goals in the first four games. Aside from their most recent game against the Whittier College Poets, which was their first loss of the season, the team has succeeded both defensively and offensively.
Strong Defence, Strong Offense
The team captain and goaltender, senior JT Addington, has proven to be the backbone of the Eagle’s defense. So far this season Addington has played every game in front of the goal, allowing only three goals in 28 shots faced. Within those 28 shots, 11 have been on goal and he has gained a total of eight saves since the beginning of the year. Supporting Addington on defense are players senior Marshall Deogarcia, freshman Kousei Mattox and sophomore Clayton Mohler.
On the other side of the pitch, the Eagles’ offense has been going strong. Senior midfielder Joey O’Keefe has scored four goals and currently leads the Eagles for most goals scored. He has been consistent throughout the start of the season, scoring in three out of the four games. His best start was in the third game against Marymount College where he would score the only two goals needed for Biola to win 2-0. The Eagles also have 9 assists, a majority of which have come from junior midfielder Devin Leon and junior forward Leonardo Contreras. Both have scored twice and Leon has three assists, while Contreras has two.
An Early Loss
In their most recent match on Sept. 6, the Eagles dropped to the Whittier College Poets 1-2 causing their undefeated start to come to an end. In that game Biola had 29 shots, 8 on goal, but only one goal made by junior midfielder Thomas Samayoa. Samayoa had been coming in and out of the game as a substitute, playing a total of 36 minutes. In the twelfth minute of the second half, Samayoa would score the Eagles only goal of the game and his first goal of the season. So far in the season, Samayoa has played in all four games and has scored one out of the two shots he has taken.
“It’s a hard loss, but it was a good loss in the fact that it came early in the season,” Addington said after their loss to the Poets.
Room for Improvement
Although their first loss of the season was a tough one full of opportunities, Addington and the team remain confident they will bounce back. Since their first loss came early on in the season, they look back on the game and see areas where they can improve and reconvene their strong start to the season.
Now the Eagles prepare themselves for their next match on Sept. 12 against Dixie State University at 7:00 p.m.
