Coming into the Sept. 24 game against the Menlo College Oaks, the Biola women’s soccer team sat 7-0 on the season and looked to extend the perfect season. However, Menlo had other ideas, and forced a 1-1 tie after two overtimes. Biola bounced back strong in their match on Sept. 27, when they beat The Master’s University Mustangs 4-0. Biola technically stays undefeated, and their record moves to 8-0-1.

Standstill on Both Sides

Menlo got on the board just under the halfway point in the first half, scoring after a cross from the left side of the field took a few deflections in the box before being kicked home by an Oaks attacker.

The remainder of the first half and majority of the second passed without a goal from either side, and it seemed like Menlo controlled the pace completely. Then, senior forward Taylor Venegas rushed into the box after a ball and the Oaks goalkeeper dangerously came out to meet her, drawing a penalty kick. Senior midfielder Jessie Burns lined up to take the shot and put it past the Oaks goalie to even the score.

A Bittersweet Draw

Through the two overtimes that followed, neither team mounted a successful offense, and the game ended in a bittersweet draw.

“This Menlo side was very organized in their defending and they made it really difficult for us to possess the ball,” said head coach Erin Brunelle. “When we’re not able to just do what we’ve been doing so well for so long, we need to kind of step up our game and have more confidence in ourselves.”

Proved Dominance

That confidence came out in full force on Tuesday as the Eagles’ offense proved their dominance over The Master’s College. Both teams had solid defensive first halves, but the Eagles broke the game wide open in the second half. 16 minutes into the second, Burns scored her second goal in as many games off a long throw-in from senior midfielder McKenna Marmelstein. She added a second goal for the game just over 10 minutes later, as she converted on a penalty kick.

Marmelstein got in on the scoring action as well, heading in her fifth goal of the season off a corner kick from senior forward Mariah Ziemer in the 79th minute. One minute later, Ziemer put the icing on the cake as she scored her first goal of the season off a long ball into the box from junior forward Margaret Guadarrama to give Biola the 4-0 lead, where it stayed.

After these two games of Golden State Athletic Conference play, Biola sits in second place in the conference and has a chance to face the number one team on Oct. 1, when they face the Vanguard University Lions at Al Barbour field starting at 4:30 p.m.