Skip To Main Content

Biola University Athletics

Scoreboard

The Official Athletic Site of the Biola University Eagles

Scoreboard

Sarah Celebration

Women's Soccer Brandon Taylor, Sports Information Assistant

Eagles Outlast Hope And The Heat In 2-1 Win

Goals from Labate and Jeffries pace Biola’s run to fifth straight conference victory.

The Eagles meet Paula Labate in the 18 yard box to celebrate her second goal of the season.
Box Score FULLERTON, Calif. --- Adversity can take many forms in soccer. On Wednesday afternoon, the adversity was not in questionable refereeing or cautions for No. 5 Biola, the adversity they faced was in the midafternoon conditions and in a determined Royals side that did not relent until the final whistle. But as they have done so often this season, the Eagles showed they were up to another challenge and collected three more conference points in a 2-1 win.

Both teams were affected by Fullerton's dry heat from the outset and it became evident fairly quickly that the attrition of the match had dulled the Eagles customary sharpness in connections and attacks. But Biola was able to produce three offensives chances within the first 10 minutes of the match and hit paydirt on its third opportunity with a goal from Paula-Marie Labate from inside the six yard area.

After the Royals defense cleared an Eagles run down the right side of the pitch, McKenna Marmelstein launched another one of her dangerous throws into the six yard vicinity with Taylor Venegas as her target. The senior captain jumped at the ball ahead of the defender marking her and punched the ball on to the left corner of six yard box, where Labate was waiting to one time the ball with her right foot and give Biola a 1-0 lead.

"Paula has been dynamic on the ball and we put her in [the starting lineup] to help us create in our attacks," said Head Coach Erin Brunelle. "She did that well for us on a really hot day where a lot of players had to contribute because everybody's muscles were gone."

Over the next 35 minutes before halftime it was all defense and goalkeeping for Biola, as Christina Rodriguez made two key saves down the stretch and the backline of Madyson Brown, Bri Mikalson, Cat Newberry, and Kayla White neutralized runs by the Royals with multiple one-on-one stops and goal line stands.

After the halftime break afforded the Eagles the opportunity to rehydrate and catch their breath, Biola scored another goal in the opening plays of a half.

Six minutes into the second period, Sarah Jeffries pressured a Royals defender 15 yards outside of the box and challenged her for possession. After poking the ball away, the freshman forward raced with the ball to the top right corner of the box as three Hope players ran in pursuit. Jeffries made a quick touch into the box and then struck a bending shot that curled past the closing keeper to find the onion bag at the left post.

But Biola got understandably tired as the second half trudged on. The Eagles best chance in the final 40 minutes to score a third goal came on a run from Venegas, who had a breakaway opportunity when the Eagles pushed through the Royals first line of defense in the 80th minute. With a defender pressuring her, Venegas weaved around the Hope keeper and had an open net to shoot at from 16 yards out. But in spite of her finishing skills, the fatigue of play took it toll on Venegas and her shot stayed wide ride to leave the Eagles advantage at 2-0.

That opportunity became much more crucial nine minutes later, when a late goal from the Royals' Brooke Mays cut the deficit to a single tally and made it a close match for the final two minutes. It was the first goal Biola had allowed in five matches.

"You gotta give credit to Hope for pressuring the ball well the entire match and making it difficult for us to keep possession," said Brunelle. "Fatigue really set in at the end for us and we had shaky minutes throughout the match, but we're thankful for the win."

With the win, Biola extends their winning streak within Golden State Athletic Conference play to five matches. The Eagles retake first place on the conference table from Vanguard with a 12-0-1 (7-0-1 GSAC) record. Hope drops to 8th place at 6-6-2 (1-5-1 GSAC).

The Eagles return to action at Al Barbour Field on Saturday night against San Diego Christian at 4:30 p.m. Senior night festivities will begin directly following the match.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Madyson Brown

#14 Madyson Brown

D/MF
5' 6"
Sophomore
McKenna Marmelstein

#10 McKenna Marmelstein

MF/D
5' 8"
Senior
Bri Mikalson

#2 Bri Mikalson

Def
5' 3"
Junior
Cat Newberry

#21 Cat Newberry

Def
5' 6"
Junior
Taylor Venegas

#23 Taylor Venegas

Fwd
5' 10"
Senior
Kayla White

#7 Kayla White

D/MF
5' 2"
Senior
Sarah Jeffries

#16 Sarah Jeffries

F
5' 7"
Freshman
Paula-Marie Labate

#28 Paula-Marie Labate

F
5' 6"
Freshman
Christina Rodriguez

#1 Christina Rodriguez

GK
5' 5"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Madyson Brown

#14 Madyson Brown

5' 6"
Sophomore
D/MF
McKenna Marmelstein

#10 McKenna Marmelstein

5' 8"
Senior
MF/D
Bri Mikalson

#2 Bri Mikalson

5' 3"
Junior
Def
Cat Newberry

#21 Cat Newberry

5' 6"
Junior
Def
Taylor Venegas

#23 Taylor Venegas

5' 10"
Senior
Fwd
Kayla White

#7 Kayla White

5' 2"
Senior
D/MF
Sarah Jeffries

#16 Sarah Jeffries

5' 7"
Freshman
F
Paula-Marie Labate

#28 Paula-Marie Labate

5' 6"
Freshman
F
Christina Rodriguez

#1 Christina Rodriguez

5' 5"
Freshman
GK
Skip Ad

Sponsors