LA MIRADA, Calif. ---

LAST WEEK: W vs Academy of Art, 1-0 (2 OT); W vs Notre Dame De Namur, 2-1 (2-0 weekly record; 4-3-2 overall and 2-0 PacWest)

THIS WEEK: vs. Concordia (3-3-1, 1-0 PacWest) - at home Saturday Oct. 6 at 4 p.m.

MULTIMEDIA: Live video and live stats for Saturday's match will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/biola or http://livesports.biola.edu/msoccer/xlive.htm. Fans can send an email shoutout (to be read on air) during the match at eaglesbroadcast@gmail.com.

BIOLA (3-5-1, 1-1 PacWest) vs. Concordia (3-5, 1-0 PacWest): Saturday Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. \\ Live Stats \\ Live Video
At the top of Biola's list of priorities this week is removing any lingering effects from its 4-1 loss to Concordia in a non-conference match on Sept. 22. On that day it was not far from the Eagles' minds that they would face Concordia in a match that really mattered for conference positioning in two weeks time and they have done well in the matches since to show they play staunch defense against conference opponents and will play any opponent close. But even though the Eagles are in a different place as a team, their task on Saturday will be the same as it was when they faced CUI in Irvine: stop forward Connor Gordon. After collecting two goals and an assist against Biola in these teams' first meeting of 2018, Gordon went on two score two more goals against Azusa Pacific this past Saturday to tie him for the PacWest lead in goals scored with nine. Azusa Pacific still came out with a victory by bringing more firepower than CUI to the tune of four goals but Biola cannot try to follow suit and change its game now after its seems to have found its defensive approach just last week. It will have to try to hand Concordia its fourth road loss in four matches by striving to score first while pitching another shutout. Biola has been the first team to score just three times this season, but that seems to be the key to victory because the Eagles are 3-0 in those matches.

ABOUT LAST WEEK:
Had it not been for a fortunate break for Notre Dame De Namur on Saturday, Biola's defense and opportunistic attack looked primed to carry the Eagles to four, if not six, points last week. Biola's team defense allowed just two shots-on-goal Thursday and four on Saturday despite playing on the road and did an excellent job in both matches of controlling play in the second half. In the 2-0 shutout of Academy of Art, the Eagles prohibited the home team from taking a shot of any type during the entirety of the second half while it secured its lead in the 54th minute with a goal from Jack MacDonald. Then Notre Dame De Namur could only manage two shots over the last 40 minutes on Saturday in the same span it took the Eagles to record seven shots. But a lofted ball into the box from the Argos in the 49th minute set up the deciding goal for the home team to bear down the rest of the way and come away with three points. But even with the 1-1 mark, the Eagles still showed a lot in the attack that they can build on for this week's matchup with Concordia. Biola's three goals last week came from three different student-athletes, including two forward in Jack MacDonald and Leo Thompson. The Eagles will always feel they can depend on the sharpness from Kousei Mattox that resulted in a goal and an assist last week from the senior captain. But being able to create scoring chances while on the ball for any and every forward in Biola's rotation is an exciting step forward for Head Coach Todd Elkins' team.

HOME SWEET HOME:
The Eagles get to return to Al Barbour Field for a single match before their three-part road trip to Hawaii that begins Oct. 8 and are hoping home cooking will help them start the trip 2-1 in PacWest play. The Eagles went 2-1-1 at home in non-conference play, giving the indication that Head Coach Todd Elkins' team will upholds its long-standing history of success at Al Barbour Field. Biola has not had a losing record at home since 2001 and rattled off five wins in a six-match stretch a home in 2017 to guarantee a .500 record.

CONFERENCE TICKER:
After two weeks on PacWest matches there is still a traffic jam in the PacWest standings with five teams tied with three points for fourth-place. Azusa Pacific is still riding atop the PacWest table with nine points (3-0) after averaging four goals per match during its Hawaii trip and will get a full week to prepare for its Saturday clash with second-place Point Loma (6-3, 2-1 PacWest). The Cougars are freshly minted with a No. 21 ranking in this week's NCAA DII poll and have taken to just pounding the net to collect victories. APU is 0-1-1 this season in matches during which it scored one goal or fewer but has scored three goals or more on six occasions this season. Gabriel Acosta already has nine goals this season to tie him with Concordia's Connor Gordon for the most number of strikes in the conference.