LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Being at home was really good for Head Coach Todd Elkins' Biola Eagles on Wednesday. Biola had its highest scoring output of the season with three goals and earned a nice non-conference win against the PacWest's preseason No. 4 team to improve to 2-4-1 and 2-0-1 in the last three matches at home. 

There were some eccentricities during the 90-minute battle of the Eagles, with Biola taking a 2-1 lead on an own goal by Concordia University Irvine and the visiting team bring the match to a one-goal margin with 13 seconds left in regulation. 

But BU's stability on defense and the regularity of quality attacks upfield with open running lanes put the home team in the driver's seat as soon as Hunter Finnegan unleashed a wicked throw-in 16 minutes into the match that resulted in Biola's first goal. 

Finnegan's linedrive throw just sailed over the outstretched hands of starting goalkeeper Braeden Hatt and into the vicinity of Jack MacDonald for the forward to handle in the process of becoming the second Eagle to score multiple goals this season. 

Concordia would respond with an equalizing goal just 26 seconds later, but that didn't seem to shake the home team at all. Finnegan headed toward the right sideline beyond the Concordia bench for the second time about 11 minutes after Concordia's goal and launched another throw-in service that ended well for Elkins' group. In the process of challenging Leo Thompson and Jake Munivez in the air, the CUI defenders pushed the ball into goal themselves and fell behind for the second time in the match.

The home team wouldn't relinquish the lead twice. Biola limited Concordia to two shots for the rest of the first half and then put the match away for good in the second half when a freshman-senior combination resulted in a beautiful goal. 

Jack Kilgallon found the ball at his feet at the top of the penalty area in the 76th minute and quickly pushed it into the space to his right with two defenders running toward him. The pass was a perfect setup for Jacob Sorenson, who scored the first goal of his collegiate career by blasting the ball on his first touch and threading it between the keeper and the near-right post. 

Biola controlled the rest of the match from there, even with Concordia's last-second goal on a deflection. The defense only needed JD Gunn to make one additional save to earn the victory, an easy catch of a shot from 25-plus yards out in the 87th minute, and Biola moved to 21-13-4 all-time against the Eagles in green and gold. 

Biola will carry the momentum of this win into the start of conference play next week with the Eagles' trip to the Bay Area. They'll take on Holy Names University at 7 p.m. on Thursday October 10.