Box Score
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It's never easy coming back after trailing a team that is ranked No. 2 in the country, but No. 22 Biola did just that twice on Thursday night before ultimately ending 110 minutes of play in a 2-2 draw with Northwestern Ohio.
 
"I feel great," said Head Coach Erin Brunelle. "It's one of those games where you walk away and it almost feels like a win. It was a great exposure to a class of soccer that we don't see out west. It was a good challenge for us….and I can't be displeased with a tie against the current number two team in the country."
 
Both Racers' goals came on penalty kick opportunities, with the first one coming with just eight seconds left on the clock in what was a relatively uneventful first half.
 
Northwestern Ohio was getting the majority of the chances in the first half, forcing Amanda Johnson to make three saves within the first 20 minutes. The Eagles only had one shot-on-goal in the half and it came with just over one minute remaining in the frame.
 
A few seconds later UNOH was on a breakaway when a late challenge in the box got the referee's attention and gave Klara Cahynova a chance at goal on a penalty kick. She buried it to deflate all the air in the Biola sails just before halftime.
 
The Eagles came out of the break with a bone to pick. After a bunch of back-and-forth in the midfield the team finally began to break through in the 53^rd minute, getting two chances that failed to make it on goal but successfully demonstrated the Eagles were not going to just lie down for the Racers.
 
"There were bouts where they were coming at us, and there were bouts where we were coming at them, so it was a bit of a see-saw battle," said Brunelle.
 
That see-saw swung in the direction of the home team in the 55^th minute when Samantha Verduzco headed a ball past the UNOH keeper off a cross from Amanda Otto that came into the box from the far side.
 
It was Verduzco's second chance off a cross in about a 30-second span. She missed the first, but made the most of the retake for her first tally of the season.
 
Another penalty kick opportunity, which was questionable enough to earn the Biola bench a yellow card, the team's first caution of the season, was converted in the 74^th minute. This had the Eagles staring at a daunting deficit against a UNOH team that was very sure defensively.
 
That defense could not stop the force that was Samatha Verduzco. The sophomore found a way to get the ball to the back of the net again in the 78^th minute, bringing the game to its ultimate 2-2 resting place.
 
Her goal came off a great find by Michaila Martin. Martin had just corralled a rebound off the Racers' keeper and swept it across to Verduzco who was looking point blank at a wide-open net.
 
"We're still waiting for Sam to completely unleash on some teams, but hopefully after tonight she can take a step in that direction, because she is capable of much more than she realizes," said Brunelle.
 
Following the fourth goal of the game the two teams played another 32 scoreless minutes to end knotted at two.
 
Catherine Newberry and Kayla White made all the difference for Biola's defense late in the game, as UNOH took the majority of the chances in the two overtime periods.
 
"Cat Newberry really just sured up the back line," said Brunelle. "She took charge of stepping in and trying to win the ball of their highest attacker. Also, Kayla was absolutely fantastic on both sides of the ball. She shut down most of their attackers on the left flank and really picked apart their defense to help generate some of our best attacks."
 
Even the tremendous efforts of those two were not enough to hold off the late attack, as UNOH had a wide-open chance at goal inside of four minutes remaining, but Johnson came up with a phenomenal save. She ended with six saves.
 
"We need to be defensively strong for 90 minutes, 110 minutes or whatever it takes," said Brunelle. "A team like Northwestern Ohio, if you give them an inch they are going to capitalize on it. It was a good test for the girls to hold true to their goal for the season of finishing strong."
 
Biola moves to 1-0-1 with the draw, while the Racers become 1-0-2 on the year. The Eagles have their first road match of the season this Saturday when they face Antelope Valley at 12:30 p.m.