Box Score TORRANCE, Calif. --- Head Coach Todd Elkins said he and Biola Men's Soccer would not going to shy away from any competition in 2016. To prove this he scheduled one of the most challenging preseason schedules in the NAIA.

That schedule began on Monday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. game against No. 21 Marymount College under the sweltering midday sun at El Camino College. Both teams were evenly matched throughout, but the Mariners were able to steal a 1-0 win with a corner kick goal in the first half.
 
The first half was a physical back-and-forth battle that saw neither team establish a very successful offensive push. There was only one shot-on-goal through the first 45 minutes, which was the Ronaldo Teixeira goal in the eighth minute. That goal came off a set piece, when the 6-foot-2-inch senior managed to push one past Igor Puglia to open the scoring.
 
Biola's offense put together nine shots throughout the 90 minutes, and managed four on goal. All four shots-on-goal came in the second half when BU managed to get the ball forward with more frequency and force some open looks through the big Marymount defenders.
 
Biola had to play 80-plus minutes down a goal and had three of its better chances of the game inside of the final 12 minutes of play.
 
With a bunch of guys inside of the box, Jarrett Pugh was able to strike a good effort towards goal that was saved by a member of the Mariners defense to keep them just one step ahead of the Biola attack.
 
Then, with just 8:08 left on the clock the dangerous Eagles' striker, Leonardo Contreras, had a go at goal that was swept aside by the Marymount keeper.
 
The Eagles had their final chance at goal with 1:19 left in regulation as Kousei Mattox swept one of his two chances of the game towards Adam Parada, who was able to come up with his third and final save of the game.
 
Aside from the goal on the corner kick, Biola's defense held strong throughout the match and allowed just three other shots with none of them going on goal.
 
It was a good first match to get Biola's feet wet against some top-level NAIA competition, and it was a positive that the team came away without a whole lot in the discipline column. They faced a Marmount team that committed 13 fouls and was handed five yellow cards in another chippy affair from the nearly 100 percent foreign side.
 
Biola falls to 0-1 on the new season, while the Mariners improve to 2-0. Biola is back in action on Friday as it hosts Great Falls (0-0) at 4:30 p.m. in its first home match of the new year.