Box Score LA GRANDE, Ore. --- On a cold and blustery afternoon in La Grande, Oregon, Biola Women's Soccer showed that it was capable of adapting and adjusting to almost anything as the Eagles earned a 1-0 win on a field that was surrounded on all sides by piles of snow.
 
Playing in these very unfamiliar conditions, which certainly not unpleasant to the eye, the Eagles ground out a hard-fought NAIA National Tournament Opening Round victory over an Eastern Oregon Mountaineers squad that was much more accustomed to 36 degree midday temperatures and a windchill that felt closer to 25.
 
The only goal of the game came through senior Adeline Saldana, who curled in a beautiful corner kick that beat everyone and sailed into the back of the net. Ironically, she had done the same thing only five minutes earlier, but had the initial goal ruled out for a foul in the box.
 
Justice tastes so sweet though and that's exactly what Saldana and the Eagles received in the 57th minute. Once ahead, and playing with a gusty, second-half wind behind their backs, the Eagles went about shutting out EOU, something that has only been done twice in their 21 games this season.
 
The ladies dug deeper than the snow plows that were required to clear the field prior to kick-off, holding off wave after wave of Mountaineer attacks to claim the clean sheet.
 
Marina Rodriguez made an impressive seven saves, Madyson Brown and Cat Newberry were the typically rock-solid foundation they have been all season long, and Brianna Mikalson and Kayla White were tireless in denying opportunities for EOU.
 
The defensive resilience wasn't just along the incredible back-line though, as the Eagles defended from the front to the back. The likes of Emily Neighbors, McKenna Marmelstein, Ashley Ramirez and Rachel Giles were all brilliant when occupying central midfield roles.
 
Chances were few and far between for the Eagles going forward due to the extremely difficult conditions. The Eagles were outshot 21-8 by the Mountaineers through the 90 minutes of play, but the one of those eight chances that found the twine was all that mattered.
 
The All-GSAC pair of Taylor Venegas and Samantha Verduzco were dangerous when they had the opportunity to get forward, but conditions were brutal for the quality of soccer that Head Coach Erin Brunelle's girls like to play.
 
The win punches Biola's ticket to the 2015 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship in Orange Beach, Alabama in the first week of December. The Eagles will start their journey in Alabama with the round of 16. The furthest Biola has made it into the tournament was a quarterfinal berth in 2004.
 
The Eagles will travel home this weekend and begin preparations for their round of 16 game. Live stats and video will be available and more information will come at athletics.biola.edu as we have it.