Although the fires raging around Southern California have not hit Biola’s campus, the effects are still felt by the athletic teams that play outdoors.
The men’s soccer team, scheduled to play California Baptist University this Tuesday and San Diego Christian University on Saturday, saw Tuesday night’s game postponed and Saturday’s match cancelled, when San Diego Christian was forced to close its campus due to the proximity of the rapidly spreading blaze.
The men, heading into Tuesday’s scheduled match, were looking to pull out of a two game losing streak in which they have taken losses from both Azusa Pacific University and Westmont College.
Two weekends ago it was Azusa handing the men a defeat by a final score of 2-0. Azusa’s Brandon Stirm scored both of the Cougars’ goals on the night, while Eagles’ goalie Tyler Higgins made an impressive eight saves to keep the men in the match.
The Eagles came up with a number of scoring chances powered by both freshmen Humberto Toscan and standout defender Brandon Gonzalez. However, as freshman Jake Ravenscraft pointed early on in the season, finishing remains the problem, and it is beginning to play like a broken record for the Eagles.
“We’ve had quite a few opportunities to score,” said Ravenscraft. “We just need to finish.”
The men walked away after being shutout in front of the standing-room-only crowd that came eager to see the Eagles grab an upset win over the Cougars.
The loss seemed to suck the life from the ailing Eagles as they took another loss last Wednesday to Westmont. Westmont hammered the Eagles, nailing in five goals, and didn’t allow a single one for their rivals. The men have not taken such a heavy blow since the Warriors handed them a 7-2 loss back in 1996.
The loss was more than a blow to pride because it also seriously hampered any playoff hopes the Eagles were still holding. As the men move to 6-10-0 on the season and 2-6-0 in conference, they need to win their last two regular season matches in order for even an outside shot at playoffs.
As for the women, they have yet to record a victory since they edged Hope back on Oct. 10. Since then, the lady Eagles have been defeated in three straight games by Azusa, Westmont and Cal State Bakersfield, respectively.
The toughest loss by far came at the hands of rival Azusa. The loss was an especially tough one to take, since it was one of the women’s best-played matches of the year as they held nationally ranked No. 2 Azusa to only one goal in the 1-0 loss.
Freshman standout goalie Lauren Gregston recorded an incredible 11 saves during the one-sided barrage of 23 shots, but it was not enough to pull off the upset. After the game, sophomore forward Zoe Zappas stated that the game was within the Eagle’s grasp until the end.
“I felt like we dominated for nearly most of the game” said Zappas. “We just couldn’t find a way to finish by putting anything in the net.”
Offensive woes plagued the ladies in their next two matches as Westmont downed the Eagles 3-1 and Bakersfield shut them out 2-0. Sophomore Hollie Affentranger drove home the lone goal over the two-game stretch.
The ladies, beset with numerous injuries, stand at 3-10-2 on the season and 1-5-2 in conference play. With the rampant fires and the playoffs nearing, a rescheduling of their Saturday or Wednesday games looks unlikely.
