With nearly 16 minutes left in a scoreless game, senior midfielder Devin Leon broke through the UC Merced Bobcats’ backline on a mad chase for the ball and scored the key go-ahead goal to help the Eagles to an eventual 2-0 victory.

Biola men’s soccer played an ultra-gritty match against UC Merced Saturday night. Both teams struggled to obtain scoring opportunities in the first half. However, after halftime, the Eagles made the right adjustments to to come out on top. The Eagles ensured Leon’s goal did not go to waste, as in the 81st minute, junior midfielder Jarrett Pugh sent a long ball toward junior forward Keaton Kerr, who knocked it into the goal and shut down a possible Merced comeback.

Yet again, Biola’s defense stifled their opponent, allowing 12 shots, yet only two on goal, both gobbled up by junior goalkeeper Igor Puglia. Puglia is now on a hot streak with Saturday’s shutout win, as the junior hailing from Brazil has recorded five straight shutouts.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 5-0 at home and 5-1 overall. Biola’s next match will be their Golden State Athletic Conference opener against the Arizona Christian University Firestorm on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4:30 p.m.