Men’s soccer fell short in their season opener against the Point Loma Nazarene University Sea Lions on Thursday. The Eagles played strong until the end but lost by a final score of 1-0. 

In the first half, the Eagles came out of the gates with nine shot attempts on the goal. However, Biola struggled on defense after being penalized with nine fouls in the first half alone. With eight minutes left before halftime, the Sea Lions scored their first and only goal of the game off an assist. 

Nine minutes into the second half, freshman midfielder Alex Lugo attempted a tough shot on goal, forcing the Sea Lions goalkeeper to collect a diving save. The Eagles still struggled after picking up seven more fouls and fell short on their shot attempts to the goal with three shots.  

In the final minutes of the game, freshman midfielder Jack Kilgallon chased down a booted ball from freshman goalkeeper JD Gunn and was fouled 30 yards away from the goal. Senior forward Leo Thompson attempted a shot but it was kicked back into the middle of the field by Sea Lion defenders. 

Overall, Gunn collected two saves for the Eagles and Thompson led the team with three shot attempts to the goal. Many of the Eagles contributed to the shot attempts on goal but could not pass the Sea Lions on the scoreboard. 

The Eagles will compete in their first home game against Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday at 1 p.m.