Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --- Biola rebounded quite well from its heartbreaking, and somewhat controversial, 1-0 loss to Vanguard on Saturday night with Tuesday's 2-1 win over Westmont on the road.
 
The first half was all Biola from the word go. The Eagles were able to slice and dice straight through the Westmont defense and got a couple great open looks at the goal, which helped them build a 2-0 halftime lead.

Devin Leon is the one who opened the defense up early on as he took the team's first three shots of the match, all coming within the first 20 minutes of play.
 
The Eagles would manage six more shots over the final 25 minutes of the half, and got goals from Daniel Martinez and Colton Hunter on the final two chances of the period.

Martinez' goal came on a beautifully struck one-timer from the left of the box. He had his opportunity handed right to him as Leonardo Contreras broke right through the defense and sent a perfect pass to his fellow senior attacker to convert.
 
The freshman, Hunter, had his opportunity given to him when a shot by Martinez was saved by the keeper and came right back at him to put away. He collected the rebound well and blasted a shot that the keeper (and defense) had no chance at dealing with.

"This was Daniel's best attacking performance as an Eagle," said Head Coach Todd Elkins. "We've been struggling to scoreand needed someone to step up. The senior came up big with a great goal." 
 
The two-goal margin took a whole lot of weight off the shoulders of Elkins' team as they took the halftime break prepare to settle back into more of a defensive form.
 
Not looking to be shutout for a second time this season, the Warriors offense jumped into high gear as it came out for the second half. After being held without a single shot in the first 45 minutes, the Warriors shot the ball five times in the first 18 minutes of the second period.
 
The game opened up a whole lot during that half as the two teams combined for 10 shots in the first 20 minutes. It took everyone the Eagles had to really hold off Westmont for much of the second half. Elkins used 17 players for a good chunk of minutes, which is getting a bit more into his bench than he usually does.
 
The best opportunity for the Warriors came in the 72^nd minute as the Warriors had back-to-back chances to score on Igor Puglia. Both were blocked, but a third attempt found the back of the net and helped Westmont tighten the game to just a one-goal difference.

Part of the change in the Eagles' defensive efficiency in the second half was the loss of a starter and key player from the back line. Kousei Mattox, who has experience as a defender, slid into the back position, which caused the Eagles to lose a bit of defensive prowess in the midfield as he sured up the back line.
 
The tension was elevated considerably over the final 18 minutes of play as a comfortable two-goal advantage was all of a sudden just a moment away from a tie ballgame.

"It was a great team effort to hold on to the win as Westmont threw everything they had at us for 45 minutes," said Elkins.
 
The Warriors had two more chances during that span, one was saved by Puglia (who had five saves in the second half), and the final attempt (in the 89^th minute) sailed wide left.
 
The Eagles improve to 8-3 (3-2 GSAC) while the Warriors fall to 5-3 (2-2 GSAC). Biola continues its road trip this weekend with a Saturday early-evening matchup with San Diego Christian at Cuyamaca College.