Editor's Note: This is the seventh in a 10-part series recapping the Top 10 sports moments of the 2009-10 year at Biola as compiled by the Biola Sports Information Office. A new moment will be revealed each day with the top moment of the year announced on Friday, June 18. See the bottom of the page for a schedule of releases and links to past moments.
Biola's men's soccer team continued its epic season by reaching the NAIA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history, advancing past Hastings College NE with its second-straight shootout victory and third shootout win in its last five matches.
The Eagles, who were making their first appearance in the NAIA Tournament in 22 years and unseeded in the tournament field, rode a wild roller coaster ride throughout the final five matches of the season. Biola nearly had the year come to an end in the first round of the GSAC Tournament, but after playing to a 1-1 tie with Vanguard, the Eagles advanced 4-2 on penalty kicks. In the first round of the NAIA tournament, Biola fought back to tie the match at 2-2 late, then beat No. 14 UT-Brownsville 4-3 in the shootout.
So, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise when the Eagles again found themselves tied with an opponent late in their second-round match at Fresno Pacific. Biola was pitted against Hastings, a team which had already pulled of a big first-round upset. Hastings broke the ice with a goal in the 56th minute, but, in a sign of things to come, the Eagles managed to tie 10 minutes later on a successful penalty kick by Marco Ruvalcaba.
The teams could not find the back of the net in the rest of regulation or in the two overtime periods, necessitating a shootout. After five rounds, the teams were tied 3-3 and each scored on their attempts in the sixth round as well. But the Fenlason's took over from there.
Sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Fenlason, who had been marvelous throughout the game, made a fantastic save to give Biola a shot to win. His brother, junior Jared Fenlason, then stepped up and beat the Hastings' keeper with a low shot to the left to wrap up the match.
The shootout was the third of the season for Biola which had been a part of just one shootout in school history prior to 2009. The two NAIA Tournament shootouts were two of the four shootouts in both the men's and women's tournaments, all of which involved GSAC teams. Due to the numerous shootouts, which officially go down as ties, the Eagles finished the season at 1-3-3 with the lone victory coming over Azusa Pacific in the GSAC semifinals. (See Moment #8).
The impressive season came to an end in the quarterfinals match as Biola lost 4-0 to No. 3 Rio Grande OH, which would lose via shootout to The Master's College in the next round. The Eagles finished with a 13-5-4
COMPLETE RECAP | BOX SCORE
Top 10 Moments of 2009-10
#1 – Friday, June 18
#2 – Thursday, June 17
#3 – Wednesday, June 16
#4 – Men's Soccer Reaches NAIA Quarterfinals with Yet Another Shootout Win
#5 – Hampton Scores 32 to Lead Men's Basketball to NAIA Quarterfinals
#6 – Volleyball Upsets No. 3 Concordia in Irvine
#7 – Baseball's Vinnie Fayard Hits Four Home Runs Including 10th-Inning Walk Off
#8 – Men's Soccer Beats Azusa for Second Time to Reach GSAC Finals
#9 – Women's Tennis Upsets No. 18 Westmont, Earns First National Ranking in a Decade
#10 – Women's Basketball Knocks Off No. 2 Point Loma Nazarene
