Biola edges Lions
It is unclear whether Vanguard men’s soccer coach Randy Dodge is a “Seinfeld” fan. But following the Lions’ Golden State Athletic Conference showdown with visiting Biola on Wednesday, it was clear that Dodge knows nothing when he sees it.
That would be nothing positive for No. 6-ranked Vanguard, which dominated in the first half, only to sustain a 1-0 loss to the No. 23-ranked Eagles, who virtually clinched their first GSAC regular-season title since 2002.
The Eagles (11-3-1, 7-0-1 in conference) top the GSAC standings with 22 points (three points for a win and one for a tie) with just two regular-season conference games remaining.
Second-place Vanguard (11-3, 5-2) has 15 points with three matches left. The Lions, who learned Wednesday that they are No. 1 in the NAIA’s RPI rankings, would need to win out and hope that Biola wins neither of its remaining matches to gain any chance at an outright or partial crown.
Vanguard had its share of chances on Wednesday, particularly in the opening half, when it posted an 11-6 advantage in shots, had a four golden chances to score, and generally controlled play.
“We were big-time in the first half,” Dodge said. “But we didn’t finish. It happens. Even when we dominated and did everything right, we got no calls. Nothing bounced our way and nothing went our way.”
The lack of good fortune was a recurring theme in Dodge’s postgame comments.
“Tackles didn’t go our way; we would tackle the ball and not wind up with it,” said Dodge, whose team won the GSAC Tournament last season and advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals. “It was just one of those days. Every 50-50 call was their ball.”
It was the second loss in three games for the Lions, who had won seven straight before falling to The Master’s on Oct. 10.
The win was surely something for Biola, which celebrated the goal and the final whistle with even greater energy and enthusiasm than both teams relentlessly poured into every possession.
“This was a huge game,” Biola Coach Todd Elkins said. “Both teams knew the significance coming in and, hopefully, both teams recognized this was going to be a great match between two good teams. Vanguard is having a great season and it had a great season last year. On the one hand, we knew we were coming into their place to play a great side and it was going to be tough. On the other hand, you like that challenge, because it allows you to see what you are made of.”
Biola posted seven of the nine second-half shots, and eventually broke through in the 72nd minute on a sequence that unfolded quickly.
“It came out of nothing,” Elkins said of the goal that began with Vanguard clearing the ball from its own defensive zone past the midfield stripe. “They had a clearance and we almost lost it,” Elkins said. “It went to our right back [Marshall Deogracia], who hit a one-time ball toward the net. The ball got into our center forward, Stephen Tanquary, and he made the most of it.”
Tanquary, who had two goals and was one of 10 Eagles to score this season, fielded the ball deep inside the 18-yard box before Vanguard goalkeeper Brandon Gomez could chase it down. He volleyed the ball into the open net to extend Biola’s winning streak to seven games and up its unbeaten streak to eight contests.
Vanguard’s first quality chance came in the first minute, when senior Jesus Fregoso boomed a shot high over the crossbar after fielding a well-placed cross from sophomore Nehum Paz.
Fregoso hooked a driving shot off the right goal post into the net in the 18th minute after sophomore Brian Torres made a strong run and delivered service. But an offsides call nullified the would-be goal.
Paz set up sophomore team scoring leader Juan Arellano (seven goals and six assists) for a booming left-footed shot that sailed high in the 25th minute.
In the 27th minute, senior Angel Maldonado sent a slicing shot toward the upper right portion of the net that Biola goalkeeper JT Addington managed to leap and reach high to punch away with his extended left hand.
Paz once again orchestrated a chance in the 43rd minute, but Addington made a point-blank stop on a shot by junior Luke Kadilak to help protect the Eagles’ fifth shutout of the season.
“[The Lions] got through our defense more in the first half than they were able to in the second and there were definitely some oh-boy moments,” Elkins said. [The Lions] have their own set of dangerous players.”
Fregoso finished with a match-high four shots, while Paz and Arellano had three apiece.
Gomez finished with five saves.
“It’s just disappointing, because you fight for all of this and you do it all for [a conference title],” Dodge said. “But we’re fine. It took a mistake for them to score, but they were well-prepared for us. We’ll see them again.”