BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, Calif. — Freshman Marco Ruvalcaba scored his first collegiate goal to lead Biola to a 1-0 win over Westminster College (Utah) in a non-conference match on Friday afternoon.

The Eagles improve to 2-0-0 on the season while the Griffins suffer their first loss, dropping to 3-1-1 overall.

Ruvalcaba, who attended nearby La Mirada High School, got Biola on the board in the 54th minute, finishing a shot to the top right corner of the goal off a great pass from sophomore Kennedy Chongo. The goal would prove to be the match-winner as the Eagle defense clamped down on Westminster's offense which entered the contest having scored 10 goals in its first four contests.

Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Higgins recorded his second-straight shutout, making six saves including an acrobatic, one-handed save off a free kick by the Griffins' Andrew Tovstein in the final five minutes to preserve the shutout.

The game was quite physical on both sides of the ball with the teams combining for 35 fouls and three cards. Biola outshot the Griffins by a count of 12-10 in the match and held a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.

The Eagles return to action on Monday (Sept. 8), traveling to Claremont to face NCAA Division III Claremont College in a non-conference match at 7:00 p.m.