With the Eagles needing a win to stay in the hunt for a postseason berth, Biola hosted the Chaminade University Silverswords in a crucial PacWest matchup. The home team took care of business with a comfortable 2-0 victory thanks to goals in the first half from sophomore defender Colie Martin and senior forward Margaret Guadarrama.
a blistering start
The Eagles got off to a blistering start when sophomore midfielder Hali Oakes crossed the ball into the box where it fell to Martin. She fired the ball into the top corner of the net, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match.
Refusing to be content with a one goal lead, the Eagles pressed for another goal. In the 35th minute, sophomore forward Paula-Marie Labate launched a free kick into the penalty box where senior forward Margaret Guadarrama headed the ball past Silverswords goalkeeper Brandee Lane, putting the Eagles ahead by two.
Martin nearly struck again in the 43rd minute when she dribbled past Chaminade defenders before firing a shot from the top of the box that blazed through the air but was tipped over the crossbar by Lane. The match would stay 2-0 going into halftime.
The Eagles started the second half with sloppy play, which led to more possession for the Silverswords. Despite this, Biola allowed very few scoring chances throughout the match. Chaminade only managed five shots (3 on goal), all of which were easy saves for sophomore goalkeeper Christina Rodriguez.
Biola came agonizingly close to a third goal in the 58th minute when a cross found the feet of freshman forward Madi deMetropolis with an open net in front of her, but her shot went over the bar. They almost scored again in the 68th minute when junior defender Madyson Brown leaped to head a corner kick from Martin towards the goal, but her shot went straight towards Lane who dove on top of the ball to make the save.
Minimizing shots against
The scoreline of 2-0 suggests the match was closer than it actually was. The Eagles dominated possession throughout the match, and they led in shots 20-5, shots on goal 8-3 and corner kicks 7-2. The shutout marks Biola’s fourth of the season and second straight.
“We continue to try to minimize shots against, and try to defend better higher up the field,” said head coach Erin Brunelle. “The shots that did come through were fairly routine for Christina. If we can keep that trend, it sets us up to win games.”
The Eagles move into fifth place in the PacWest with the victory and improve their record to 8-2-1 (4-2-1 in PacWest). The team finishes their three-match homestand against University of Hawaii at Hilo at 4 p.m. on Oct. 16.
