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Simonis possesses the ball
George Rodriguez
1
Winner Biola BIOLA (1-0-0, 0-0-0)
0
Cal St. San Marcos CSUSM (0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Biola BIOLA
(1-0-0, 0-0-0)
1
Final
0
Cal St. San Marcos CSUSM
(0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Biola BIOLA 0 1 1
Cal St. San Marcos CSUSM 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Ethan McGarvey, Assistant Sports Information Director

Eagles Take Season Opener

The BU men’s soccer team began its regular season action with a 1-0 triumph over CSU San Marcos.

SAN MARCOS, Calif. --- Biola began their 2021 campaign undefeated on Thursday, taking down CSU San Marcos. The road matchup was a low-scoring bout, as a Daniel Simonis score was enough to secure the 1-0 win for BU.

First year head coach Joey O'Keefe led his team to the victory in his first regular season match at the helm. It's the first win in a season opener for the program since 2015, when O'Keefe was playing in a Biola uniform and helped BU with a goal and an assist to achieve that win six years ago.

"It was great to get the season started with a positive team result," said O'Keefe. "I'm most proud of our willingness to battle today." 

Aggressive defense defined the afternoon competition with the two teams combining for 10 shots. A tenacious fight for the ball led to serious infringements, including six yellow cards between the two squads. 

With the match remaining scoreless, all it would take is one good run at the goal to grab control of the contest. That is exactly what the Eagles did.

Pontus Gitselov found space outside of the box, following a Biola throw-in. A little bit of room was all he needed to rip a shot that deflected off the goalie's hand and the crossbar. The near miss remained in play and bounced right to the feet of Simonis.

In the right place at the right time, Simonis collected the rebound and sent a successful shot to the back of the net. In the 48th minute, the senior midfielder tacked on the game-winner in his Biola debut.

"We were clinical in our possession and executed brilliantly in front of the goal," added O'Keefe. "Daniel Simonis showcased his experience as a seasoned attacker and gave the extra effort to sniff out a rebound goal." 

On the back end, it was a team effort to log the clean sheet. BU goalkeeper Luis Rodriguez headed up the defense, picking up two saves and the win in his fifth-career shutout.

Izaac Zausch and Lawrence Kwazema played an integral part of the impressive defensive showing. The pair clogged up the middle of the field and never came off the pitch, combining for 180 minutes played.

BU will return to the pitch on Wednesday with a battle against CSU Dominguez Hills at home.
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