Biola University men’s soccer faced off against the Bethesda College Flames at Al Barbour Field in a late afternoon match on Sept. 12. The first 30 minutes of the match featured very few clear scoring chances until a turnover by the Eagles’ defense led to a one on one opportunity for the Flames, who scored easily. Just five minutes later, a Flames corner kick found its way into the net to make it 2-0. In the second half, senior midfielder Jarrett Pugh shot in a long throw from sophomore midfielder Hunter Finnegan to give the Eagles a chance at coming back. Biola could not find a tying goal and the match finished 2-1 with the home team losing their third straight.

high hopes dashed

“It was disappointing,” said head coach Todd Elkins. “We had high hopes for today. I think everybody on the team believed that we would come out and win today.”

The Eagles’ high hopes showed on the field as they controlled the match for the first half hour, creating attack chances, but the Bethesda defense held strong. The Flames’ resolve paid off as the Eagles’ turned the ball over before a pass set up Flames midfielder Bernardo Thedim one on one with senior goalkeeper Igor Puglia. Thedim calmly placed the ball into the goal’s bottom corner to give Bethesda the lead in the 31st minute.

The Flames’ offense experienced a spark of energy as they took control over the match. They earned a corner kick in the 36th minute, which the Eagles failed to clear. Flames defender Jun Mo Ryu capitalized on the error and fired the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead.

the need to be more vocal

“We need to focus more,” said junior midfielder Kousei Mattox. “We need to talk more, be loud more. [Bethesda] did that very well.”

Despite controlling possession for the majority of the second half, the Eagles struggled to convert scoring opportunities. The 80th minute brought a change in that trend for the Eagles. A long throw in by Finnegan landed in a group of players in the penalty box where Pugh knocked the ball into the net to give the Eagles a chance.

Pugh had another chance from a long throw in the 88th minute, but Flames goalkeeper Oscar Gomez easily collected the headed shot.

The Eagles’ third straight loss sees the team fall to 0-3-1. They have a weeklong break before they face Ottawa University at home on Sept. 21.