LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After a 2015 campaign that was a steady ascent to prominence in the GSAC and NAIA, Biola Women's Soccer comes to the 2016 season with strong optimism that it can make some noise and win some hardware in its final season before transitioning to NCAA Division II.
 
Head Coach Erin Brunelle's squad returns many main contributors that sent the team to Orange Beach, Ala. for a national tournament final site berth in 2015 and are expected to fight at the top of the GSAC table all year with Westmont and Vanguard for the conference championship.
 
Realizing these high expectations will begin with the reinvigorated offense the Eagles will trot out in 2016. Biola returns its top three scorers from a year ago in senior captains Taylor Venegas and Jessie Burns and Junior Samantha Verduzco. The trio netted over half of the Eagles' 39 goals last season and figures to be just the first wave opponents will see in their defending third this year.
 
This rendition of the Eagles may very well be defined by the way their relentless attacking efforts break down opponents, as many of the incoming players Brunelle signed have experience scoring goals and could really tax defenses as fresh reinforcements to the front line.
 
If the 15 wins from last season are any indication, the continual pressure Biola will place on opponents this year will reap a lot of success. The Eagles scored 28 of their 39 goals in the second half in 2015, while their worn down opponents only managed eight goals in the latter 45 minutes of matches.
 
The ability to score goals will always be predicated on intelligent midfield play and suffocating defense for Biola. A collection of seniors, Burns, McKenna Marmelstein, Kayla White and Mariah Ziemer will anchor things for Biola around the center circle and are expected to score a bit themselves.
 
Additionally, NAIA All-American first team selection Madyson Brown and the rest of the defense look to repeat the type of play from last season that resulted in 11 shutouts across 22 matches. Brown, a sophomore, will team up with Juniors Janae Megorden, Brianna Mikalson and Cat Newberry in an effort to rack up more clean sheets with a pair of new goalkeepers.
 
Conference play consists of 10 matches for the Eagles and begins Tuesday Sept. 20 against Arizona Christian at 7:00 p.m.
 
The big home matches to circle on the calendar are Saturday Oct. 1 against Vanguard at 4:30 p.m. and senior night against San Diego Christian on Oct. 22 at 4:30 p.m. The Eagles will also travel to Santa Barbara for a tough matchup against Westmont on Wednesday Oct. 5 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Biola's season begins on Wednesday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. matchup with Marymount at El Camino College. The Eagles come into the new season ranked No. 12 in the NAIA. The Mariners are unranked. Follow the game live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/marymountca/index.htm