After months of preparation, Biola women’s soccer finally began their PacWest schedule with a trip to Utah to face the Dixie State University Trailblazers. The Eagles came into the match 4-0 while their hosts boasted a 5-1 record. The visitors suffered a rough introduction to the PacWest thanks to a dominating performance from the Trailblazers, who won 2-0.

Missed opportunity

Biola created the first scoring opportunity in the third minute, but sophomore defender Colie Martin’s shot was saved by Trailblazers goalkeeper Felicity Tarr. The Eagles paid for the missed opportunity six minutes later when Dixie State defender Montana Hadley scored directly from a corner kick to give Dixie State the early 1-0 advantage.

After the first goal, both Biola and Dixie State pressed to score more, but neither could manage to find the back of the net for the rest of the opening half. The first 20 minutes of the second half carried on this trend until the 65th minute when the hosts kicked their game into another gear. The Trailblazers defense pressed harder and held the Eagles without a shot for the rest of the match.

The final nail in the Eagles’ coffin came in the 84th minute when they could not defend another Trailblazers corner kick. The consequence of the unusually poor defending came in the form of a headed goal from Dixie State defender Sadie Kroll. This marked the first match in which defense was an issue for the Eagles, as they only allowed three goals in their first four matches.

A humbling test

This match posed the first major test of the squad’s ability to compete at the NCAA Division II level, and they failed that test. The Eagles struggled in many facets of the game, with defensive and attacking problems throughout. Dixie State held Biola to four shots on goal, while they managed to pelt the goal with 11 shots.

Sophomore goalkeeper Christina Rodriguez proved one of the few bright spots for the Eagles, racking up nine saves in the match. Despite her efforts, the strength of the opposition overpowered the Biola defense, allowing a comfortable victory for the Trailblazers.

The Eagles fall to 4-1 (0-1 in the PacWest). They continue PacWest play when they return to Al Barbour Field to face Notre Dame de Namur University on Sept. 28.