LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The Biola Eagles were all smiles over the final 20 minutes of their 2-0 shutout of Academy of Art on Thursday afternoon. Head Coach Erin Brunelle's group had already built a two-goal lead and got to cheer on senior Emily Neighbors as she entered the match and made a number of smooth passes in her first competition since 2017. 

All told, Biola outshot Academy of Art 23-to-3 on Thursday afternoon, held 60 percent of the possession for the match and got two second-half goals to collect its fifth-straight win. The Eagles are now 3-0 in PacWest play and move to 4-0 all-time against the Urban Knights while ART U falls to 5-4-1, 1-2 PacWest.

The Eagles imposed their will on the match very early on after the opening whistle, taking seven shots before the visitors offered their first test of keeper Christina Rodriguez. Fresh off of setting a new program record for career shutouts this past Saturday, Rodriguez made a beautiful diving save to her right that stuffed a 25-yard blast from ART U striker, Anissa Wilson. Wilson came into the match with eight goals but would only manage one more shot after Rodriguez' save in the 33rd minute. 

While Biola entered halftime feeling a bit deprived because it hadn't scored a goal, the Eagles were dominant on the ball and repeatedly alleviated the opposing team's pressure with ease. The home team had very little trouble pushing the ball upfield and then finally broke through nine minutes after the start of the second half.

Freshman forward Christine Goodman got the play started when she beat the defender in front of her and took the space down the left sideline. Her low cross was intended to meet Ella Hiveley at the top of the box, but Hiveley was met immediate by an Urban Knights defender and the ball squirted away from goal. Fortunately for Biola, that deflection sent the ball right to Katelyn Penner, who dropped the boom for her first goal, and first game-winner, of the year. 

Penner stepped up and smashed the ball with her first touch to beat keeper Lara Pflicke and ripple the net for Biola's 1-0 lead. The goal was eerily similar to Penner's overtime game-winner in San Francisco that beat Academy of Art 1-0 a year ago, as Penner's shot on Thursday had the same trajectory and came from about the same distance.

As they have since their shutout streak started, the Eagles continued to push after going up 1-0. Madi Reeves would take a shot just two minutes after the restart and Biola would take nine more chances thereafter. One of the most dangerous coming from senior captain Hali Oakes, who's rocket from outside the 18-yard box was screened from the ART U keeper and only stayed out of the goal thanks to fortunate positioning from Pflicke. 

But Biola's second tally would come on an own goal from Academy of Art. The Urban Knights' left back tried to jump a clear a cross from Annmarie Alvarez in the 68th minute, only to see the ball deflect off her leg and inside the right post for another goal. 

The 2-0 victory extended the Eagles' shutout victory to seven and created a very appropriate ending to a match that saw another program record fall. After playing all 90 minutes in the win, senior centerback Madyson Brown passed former teammate, and partner on the backline, Cat Newberry for first place on all-time minutes played list for Biola Women's Soccer. 

Brown will carry a career total of 6,234 minutes into the Eagles next match this Saturday. Biola hosts Notre Dame de Namur on Al Barbour Field at 4 p.m.