AZUSA, Calif. --- This way the type of match the Eagles wanted to play in when they transitioned into the PacWest. Biola more than held its own against the team that was on top of the conference table and was in hot pursuit of a victory the entire match before it settled for a 1-1 tie with Azusa Pacific.

"I thought we played more than well enough to win the game; we definitely missed an opportunity to come away with three points," said Head Coach Erin Brunelle. "We created numerous opportunities that won't show up on a stat sheet, but the missing component was someone stepping up to ensure that our work going forward resulted in a goal."

Road wins are hard to come by in the PacWest, so scoring a second goal and walking away with three points would have been the best-case scenario for Biola. But there was no doubt that the Eagle played their program's brand of strong and disciplined soccer for the duration of the match against the Cougars once both goals were scored.

Wednesday's Cornerstone Cup festivities started with a bang as both teams found the back of the net within the first two minutes. Azusa Pacific had all of about 60 seconds to cherish its lead when it got on the scoreboard first. It only took the Eagles a minute or so to bring the ball back to the centerline for kickoff, send it upfield and create a penalty kick opportunity on the strength of a Samantha Verduzco run into the box.

Paula-Marie Labate then stepped up to the penalty spot as she had done in the previous two matches for Biola and waited for the referee's whistle to approach the ball. Labate fooled the keeper by shooting at the left post and tied the match for Biola just 20 seconds of match time after freshman Randi Macadangdang has scored for APU.

As more time elapsed after the two quick strikes, Biola's defense really started to gain a tight grip on the match. The Cougars were unable to produce a shot-on-goal after the 19th minute of the match and were completely shutout from any scoring chances in both overtime periods.

"Madyson Brown & Cat Newberry were tremendous all night, reading the play and stepping in to win balls played into their forwards," said Brunelle. "Our midfield also did everything we asked of them this game. They were organized defensively, covered a ton of ground, and helped our backs limit Azusa to only three shots-on-goal."

Biola produced its best chances to score its secnod goal in the closing moments of regulation an overtime. Of the four shots the Eagles took in the final ten minutes of regulation, a near-connection in the 80th minute between Colie Martin and Sarah Yang was the most dangerous. Martin served the same cross into the 18-yard box that she kicked when Biola scored a game-winner against Corban. But this time it was jus a bit too far in front of Yang for her to provide the power the ball needed to be redirected on target.

Then Paula-Marie Labate sent a rocket from 25 yards out toward goal that almost won the match for Biola in the 109th minute. The Cougars caught a break when their keeper scrambled to punch the ball up and off the crossbar.

"Going in we knew Azusa was ranked number one, we knew about the past rivalry, and we knew the game wasn't gonna just be handed over to us," said Madyson Brown. "I think we dominated most of the game. I was super pleased to see that we could rise to a very talented opponent and even outplay them."

The 1-1 result gives the Eagles a total of seven points in PacWest play at 2-1-1 (6-1-1 Overall). The Cougars dropped one point out of first place after the tie and have a record of 3-0-2 PWC, 3-3-2 Overall.

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 5:00 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.