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Scoreboard

Biola and Westmont 0-0 scoreline. Action shot of Henry Reeves
0
Westmont WMC (0-0-1, 0-0-0)
0
Biola BIO (0-0-1, 0-0-0)
Westmont WMC
(0-0-1, 0-0-0)
0
Final
0
Biola BIO
(0-0-1, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Westmont WMC 0 0 0
Biola BIO 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

90 Minutes Not Enough

Biola and Westmont end exhibition in a 0-0 draw on opening night.



LA MIRADA, Calif --- There was room for a whole lot of firsts at Al Barbour Field on Tuesday night. Most notably is the fact there was a live soccer match there for the first time in 15 months and it featured the debut cap for new head coach Torrey Stricklin and the new look Eagles.

In the end 90 minutes of exhibition play was not enough to find a winner as Biola and the visiting Westmont Warriors played to a 0-0 tie. It was the 72nd all-time meeting between these two programs and just the sixth 0-0 tie. The last time the two sides played to a scoreless draw was 2004.

The score was not what was most important here though, rather on this night it was enough just seeing the 22 men battle full-out for 90 minutes. It was a solid appetizer for the regular season, which begins just over a week from now as Biola plays at Point Loma to open PacWest Conference SoCal pod play.

"It means so much to be back. It's so much fun for 90 minutes to feel like you're back in a normal world in some ways," said Stricklin. "Of course, I'm wearing the mask, but at this point it's second nature. To be able to see the guys out there competing and doing what they love is what it's all about. I am just really proud of the guys."

What stood out to the Eagles' new head coach was his team's organization, especially in the defensive third. The back line held Westmont without a single shot-on-goal and only gave up two total first-half shots.

The defensive effort was spearheaded by St. Edward's transfer Izaac Zausch, who completely shut down his side of the field and helped the new-look back line keep it's composure throughout. 

Westmont only had two runs the entire game that really had the look of any danger, but the guys in the back dealt well and helped Luis Rodriguez pick up a relatively easy clean sheet.

"I think this game looked like two teams who have not played against another team in at least a year," said Stricklin. "It was a little disjointed at times. Organizationally though, it was a massive improvement for us. I am proud of the guys for their organization defensively."

Similar to Westmont, shots were difficult to come by for the Eagles as well. However, Biola felt the more dangerous side all night long but struggled a bit with the timing in the offensive third, being called offside twice in the first 10 minutes and five times total throughout the match.

The Eagles were ultimately out-shot by the opponents, 6-5, with neither team registering a shot-on-goal. Biola had two close free kicks and two corner kicks in the final 10 minutes but could not convert on any of those set pieces. 

The nearest opportunity to goal for either team came on Biola's offensive end in the final seconds of the first half, as the Eagles managed a header from inside the penalty area that went just wide. 

"Attacking-wise there was some good moments, but there was not a whole lot of fluidity. We need to just train more, learn from our game film and just play games," said Stricklin. "Of course, the guys are disappointed not to win. That's always the goal when we step on the field, to win and get three points, but at the end of the day to be out here competing and doing what we love is a blessing. It's something we are certainly never going to take for granted again."

The game ended after 90 minutes and both coaches elected to forego overtime since the game was not a countable contest for either side. At that point, the weather had dipped down into the 40s and Westmont was ready to hit the bus for their two-hour drive home.

"I am proud of the guys in terms of the mentality, their competitiveness and for 90 minutes just working really hard," said Stricklin. "Collectively there is still a lot we can improve upon, but I thought there were a lot of really, really good individual performances tonight."

So, now this Biola group will turn its attention to reviewing this game film and then readying for the launch of conference play next week. Point Loma will host BU on Wednesday, February 3 with kick-off slated for 11 a.m.

The Sea Lions placed third in the conference last year with a 7-3-1 league record. They had won every match over Biola since the 2011 season, until the Eagles got the better hand in a 4-3 overtime slugfest on Senior Night last November. The match can be viewed live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/plnu/.
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