Biola men’s soccer returned to action Saturday night, Oct. 4, doggedly pursuing their first conference win against league rivals Point Loma Nazarene University, finishing 3-2.

Striking first was the Sea Lions’ Jason Smith who scored in the sixth minute of the game. Things looked bleak for the Eagles as there was not another goal for a full 30 minutes before Biola sophomore forward Kennedy Chongo came through to tie the game.

The score came with a Biola free kick which ricocheted from the goal post to Chongo, who drove the ball into the net with an impressive header.

The rest of the game was surprisingly dictated by penalties as Biola’s next two goals came on free penalty shots. Four minutes after Chongo’s goal, Point Loma was penalized as their final defender attempted to prevent a Biola breakaway by pulling down the attacker. Senior Nick Bautista took the free shot and knocked it past the Sea Lions’ goaltender with ease.

In the 54th minute, yet another Eagle breakaway was smothered by a penalty. This time senior Brandon Gonzalez did the honors, putting the Eagles ahead 3-1.

After Biola took the lead by two, the Sea Lions seemed to ease off, although they did score another goal in the 63rd minute making the game a little closer at 3-2.

This game was a boost of confidence for the Eagles as they headed to Fresno Pacific to face the Sunbirds on Wednesday night. The Eagles were however shut down 4-1 after the final whistle and now hold a record of 6-3-1 overall.