AZUSA, Calif. --- Men's soccer earns the honor of being the first program to contribute 10 points to Biola's Cornerstone Cup point total. The Eagles broke through for two goals in the final seven minutes of the match to defeat Azusa Pacific, 2-0.

Biola now holds a slim lead in the yearlong race for the Cornerstone Cup, scoring 15 points to the Cougars 10. Five more points will be up for grabs when the institution's volleyball programs faceoff at Biola on Saturday.

"It wasn't until the 2nd half that we put our stamp on the game," said Head Coach Todd Elkins. "We were much more proactive, defending together and then transitioning quickly to offense with intentionality about what we were trying to do."

The first half saw a lot of congestion in the middle third of the pitch as the teams tried to search for the seams in their opponent's defense. The Eagles managed four shots compared to the Cougars three but neither team was able to present a legitimately threatening chance at goal and both backlines seemed solid.

"My fear at halftime was that we would let the game pass without really playing and showing what we could do," said Elkins. "APU had shown us their hand and it was solid. Biola, on the other hand, had shown nothing of note to concern then. I knew if we could start playing for the first time, the game would change and maybe APU wouldn't be ready for it."

The Eagles came out of the break strong and sharp, particularly in those moments the Cougars were surging toward goal. Reigning PacWest Defender of the Week, Sammy McKay, locked down the left flank and Parker Setran be more aggressive up the sideline in pursuit of the ball.

Setran's positioning played a huge role in the 83rd minute when the Eagles finally broke through for their first goal. Becoming an additional midfielder of sorts for Biola, Setran applied more pressure on the opposing defense by serving a ball from near the centerline toward Jake Munivez in the 18-yard box. Munivez' header on Setran's ball then created space for Keaton Kerr to tuck the ball inside the right post and give the Eagles a lead they needed to hold for nine minutes.

Kerr had been named Biola Athlete of the Week earlier on Wednesday after he scored two goals against Dominican University last Saturday.

Jarrett Pugh pushed the match out of the Cougars' reach three minutes later added breathing room to Biola's lead. After the senior captain was tackled in the box, he step up to the spot to finish the run he started and shot the ball dead central to send the Biola crowd into uproar.

"Azusa has a very talented team and we knew this would be a huge test for us on the road," said Pugh. "The win was a product of the full team being united in belief and fighting for each other till the final whistle. It makes it that much sweeter that it was against Azusa in our first game back in this rivalry."

Biola's next match is schedule for this Saturday, when it travels to Fresno to play Fresno Pacific. Opening whistle with the Sunbrids is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday's match was presented by West Coast Sand & Gravel Inc., the title sponsor of the Cornerstone Cup between Biola and Azusa Pacific.