LA MIRADA—The Biola men's soccer team had a unique start to Fall 2024, embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime mission trip to Brazil with the Chicago Eagles and SoCal Eagles.

"Almost the entire team was on the trip which gave us a unique opportunity to get to know each other and extended our preseason training camp by two extra weeks," stated head coach Joey O'Keefe. "The team was forced to get to know each other, being in a foreign country that no one has been to before with limited cell service."

When junior Ethan Hardin was asked about his experience in Brazil, he explained it as "an essential part of [their] preseason preparation."

The Eagles spent 11 days in Brazil where they shared their love of Christ through the sport of soccer. The players were in for a life-changing experience, spending all of their time together with limited distractions from the outside world. They slept in bunk beds, ate every meal together, played games against local teams and most importantly served the local community together.

The men's soccer team hosted clinics for children and shared their testimonies with teams from nearby cities after games. They also participated in sports ministry training, where they learned how to merge their faith with their passion for soccer to discover their true purposes.

Hardin added, "helping run the soccer camps for the local kids, playing games and discussing their faith with each other served as the building blocks of our team unity and togetherness. We were able to come together in 11 days in a way that normally takes two or three times as long." 

When sophomore Caleb Sims was asked about his experience in Brazil, he shared, "My time in Brazil was very eye-opening." 

Sims continued, "I enjoyed the opportunity of being able to serve people in Brazil while also being given the chance to speak to them about Jesus. This time was also special for the team as a whole as we got to spend lots of time together while serving others, it was a unique experience that I'll never forget."

O'Keefe closed with, "As someone who has got to do this kind of mission trip as a player, it's so cool to be a coach and watch a group of players who don't really know each other come together. Everyone was on the same page of trying to understand their faith better. Some guys shared their testimonies for the first time ever and it was really cool to hear their stories and see some of the Brazilian people come to Chirst because of their shared testimonies."

Follow along with the men's soccer team who begins their season on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. at Al Barbour Field.