LA MIRADA, Calif. – One moment was all it took to separate Azusa Pacific and Biola Saturday evening, as a 58th minute penalty kick gave the host Eagles a 1-0 victory.

The Cougars pushed forward early, earning a pair of corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of the game, but no shots materialized.  Biola for their part took four shots early, though none of them posed a serious threat.  Orlando Valencia-Jimenez would take the only shot of the first half that was on target, forcing a Biola save in the 20th minute.  The teams would make it to halftime still 0-0.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, the Eagles were able to break the deadlock.  A counterattack that ran end-to-end resulted in a Biola player being dragged down in the box, and the resulting spot kick gave Biola the lead.  The Cougars would attempt to find the equalizer, with Leke Ademola putting a pair of shots on goal and Joshua Lugo coming agonizingly close by hitting the woodwork with under five minutes remaining, but to no avail.

Inside the Box Score 

• Shots for the game were even at 10 apiece, with the Cougars putting four efforts on goal to the Eagles' three
•  Alexis Rodriguez made two saves in the game, both coming in the second half
• Azusa Pacific had five field players go the full 90 minutes
•  Ademola took five of the Cougars' ten shots in the contest.
• Azusa Pacific still leads the all-time series against Biola 36-18-7, including a record of 5-3-2 since Biola joined the PacWest in 2017
• This was officially a nonconference game, the Cougars will host Biola in a rematch on October 25.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (0-5-1) will continue to search for its first win of the season as they open conference play against Dominican. Kickoff against the Penguins is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.