Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- All season long you could tell this 2015 Biola Men's Soccer team was something special. Their 3-2 victory over Hope International in Thursday's Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal proves that.
 
The Eagles played the final 52 minutes of the match down a man but still managed to find the twine two more times and punch its ticket into the GSAC Tournament Finals for the first time since 2013 and fourth time since 2009.
 
"I believe in these guys. I believe in the team," said Head Coach Todd Elkins. "I was not worried about being down a man in this game. I knew it would take extra work together to fill in the gaps. To be down a man for more than half of the game takes work, but I did not ever doubt they'd be able to get it done."
 
Biola got goals from Leo Contreras, John Hanscom and Cristhian Aparicio on a night where there was not much mistaking who was the better side on the pitch. Biola did well in playing a man down throughout while the creativity of Contreras, Joey O'Keefe and a few others up front still offered plenty of chances in the offensive third of the field.
 
When Devin Leon was issued a red card in the 39^th minute of the match it seemed like a call that would be destined for drama as the game was tied at one at the time of the booking.
 
Contreras scored the game's first goal by getting on the end of a corner kick in from Leon in the 18^th minute. HIU tied things up with free kick booted in by Jonathan Canales from way, way back in the Royals' offensive zone.
 
Just seven minutes after that goal was when a tussle initiated by HIU's Oleg Parent took Leon down with an injury and also resulting in the Leon booking as the official arrived at the play late.
 
The ejection did not change much about the Eagles' game as the team continued to press towards goal and look primarily to Contreras to get some offense started. The junior forward took seven of Biola's 16 shots on the night, with many of them coming in the second half.
 
The intensity in the atmosphere was palpable as the tied score line held until a bit of Biola magic came in the 71^st minute. A trio of seniors (O'Keefe, Stephen Tanquary, and Hanscom) combined exceptionally in the box as Hanscom powered one past Manuel Madrigal to get the Eagles back on top at 2-1.
 
"Once we wrapped our heads around the fact that we were down a man but still needed to attack, we stepped back on the field after halftime supremely confident," said Elkins. "We didn't want to hold back on defense and hope for a counterattack. It ended up working out, and I was excited, especially for the seniors. They deserve to go to the finals. That second goal was all about the seniors as there were guys all around the ball."
 
Then it became a little bit more about keeping the Royals off the scoreboard for 20 more minutes for the improbable "shorthanded" victory to be cemented.
 
However, Aparicio took it upon himself to capitalize on an uneven run in favor of Biola and scooped the three ball from Jarrett Pugh past the keeper on the far side of the goal to put Biola up 3-1 with five minutes to play. This was a play that saw the ball played all the way from the back line forward in a tremendous effort for BU.
 
"For us to build out of the back while we were down a man was great for us.," said Elkins. "A lesson we are trying to learn is to not just try to hold on when we have a lead. You've got to keep attacking."
 
That goal would turn out to be the game winner, because less than a minute later came the final, and perhaps most technically stunning, goal of the night. Hope International had numbers up in the box in front of JT Addington and Eduardo Zavala shot a low cross straight across from post to post and found David Munoz who pushed it in for the goal.
 
That was all that could be done as the Eagles' defense held on for the final four-plus minutes and helped Biola improve to 13-4-1 with the victory. The loss drops the Royals to 9-11 and ends their season.
 
The GSAC Tournament Final is set to be a matchup between Biola and No. 14 Vanguard who defeated The Master's College 2-1 in double-overtime in the late game on Thursday. That match will be at Biola Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.