Box Score
FRESNO, Calif. ---
Collins Egbe guaranteed a goal; he was that confident.
Late in the second half of Biola's GSAC semifinal match at regular-season champ Fresno Pacific, Egbe approached Head Coach Bryan Kuderman and told him if he put him back in the game, he would score a goal. Kuderman took him up on it and re-entered the 6-3 defender in the 77th minute.
Six minutes later, Egbe kept up his end of the bargain, scoring the match's lone goal on a header off a corner kick in the 84th minute as Biola kept its late-season run going with a 1-0 win over No. 21 Fresno Pacific in the GSAC semifinals on Saturday afternoon in Fresno.
The win was the fifth-straight for the Eagles, who improve to 12-5-2 on the season, advance to the GSAC Tournament Finals where they meet No. 13 Concordia in Irvine on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
The loss likely ends the season for the Sunbirds at 12-6-0.
The match was a solid battle between two evenly-matched teams. Through the first 45 minutes, the match was fought for at midfield, with neither team able to record more than four shots and no goals.
In the second half, Fresno Pacific stepped up the tempo and committed more of its players forward. Biola fought off the attack and was able to create a few chances, though they came mostly from set pieces.
Late in the contest, the Eagles got their chance. With six minutes left, a quick counter attack gave Biola a corner kick. Marco Ruvalcaba stepped up and took the kick, bending it right to the front of the frame where Egbe headed it in.
Biola fought off a late flourish from the Sunbirds and managed to take its second-straight 1-0 victory.
The Eagles' Aaron Fenlason continued to fight off the end of his college career with his second-straight shutout, making three saves in the process.
The win served as a measure of revenge after the Sunbirds scored a 3-1 victory in La Mirada earlier this year. It was also the third-straight win for the Eagles in Fresno which included an upset win over the Sunbirds in the GSAC Quarterfinals last season.
