Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola Women's Soccer's 10^th shutout of the season sends the team into the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Finals. The Eagles defeated No. 5 seed Menlo 2-0 in the GSAC Tournament Semifinals on Thursday afternoon.
 
"It means a lot because we are now in the conference championship," said Head Coach Erin Brunelle. "We've been there before, but we've never been past it. It puts us one step closer to the team's ultimate goal of qualifying for the national championship."
 
For the game being a conference tournament semifinal match both teams seemed at peace to play without much gusto through a majority of the first half, which in the end played into Biola's favor as Menlo had little time to make up the deficit they got in later on in the game. Smart decision–making by both keepers cutoff what offensive runs there was.
 
Biola was getting the majority of the chances when there was opportunity in the offensive zone. This tone was set as Taylor Venegas and Emily Neighbors each had clear chances at goal within the first minute and a half.
 
After the early flurry it was quite some time until either side saw another quality opportunity. Mariah Ziemer played an integral role in Biola moving the ball forward throughout the afternoon as she partnered well up front with Taylor Venegas.
 
She had one of the two Eagles' quality chances over the rest of the first half. She made a run into the far left side of the box and a pass got cut into her, but she was met at the same time by the Oaks' keeper who cleared the ball away.
 
Menlo's best chance came a few minutes later as an attempted cross into the box flew just over the crossbar as it nearly bent in goal.
 
Biola's other quality chance came with just seven minutes left in the half as McKenna Marmelstein directed a free kick at the keep straight on goal, but Swart handled it cleanly to hold Biola off the board.
 
The clean slate was muddied just 14 minutes into the second half as a penalty kick was awarded to Biola after a foul at the very edge of the penalty area. Jessie Burns took the penalty chance and nestled it home into the far right corner to put the Eagles ahead 1-0. It is her sixth score of the season and Biola's very first by way of penalty kick.
 
Biola went into a whole new gear in the second half and had opportunity after opportunity against this Oaks team that seemed to lose its entire offensive attack against another stout performance by the Eagles' back line and midfield.
 
Burns had a chance for a second score from the top of the box with about 14 minutes left on the clock. That shot hit the crossbar and ricocheted back down just on the field side of the goal line.
 
It wouldn't be long before another chance materialized as Ziemer found Venegas with a through ball from the left flank that Venegas scooted past the charging keeper to extend it to a 2-0 lead for Biola.
 
"We knew they'd be super organized and at times have all 11 behind the ball," said Brunelle. "We worked all week to try to break down a side, but even more so we wanted to try to go right at their back line. We knew we'd have to combine more to find a way to break through and get past their keeper. I think we did that well."
 
So Biola dances into the GSAC Tournament finals for the first time since it faced Vanguard back in 2012. The Eagles will face No. 8 Westmont in the final at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday at Al Barbour Field.

The Eagles and Warriors met once earlier this year and tied at two here at Al Barbour Field.