LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team, the defending NCAA Division II champions, found itself on the right side of an offensive extravaganza Wednesday night in University Stadium.
The No. 1 Golden Eagles were able to erase a 3-2 halftime deficit and rallied to beat Biola, 4-3, in a non-conference contest. Cal State LA (4-0) entered the game with three straight shutouts, but was stunned by a three-goal Biola explosion that wiped out a 2-0 lead. The Golden Eagles, though, were able to regroup and got second-half goals from
Manuel Garcia and
Marlon Radel to earn an exciting 4-3 win.
Cal State LA ran its unbeaten streak to 22 games with the win.
The Golden Eagles allowed three goals in a game for the first time since Oct. 31, 2017 in a first-round California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament game at Chico State. Ironically, the Golden Eagles allowed three first-half goals in that game, too, and came back to win, 4-3.
Cal State LA held a 12-11 edge in shots and both teams had four corner kicks. Cal State LA goalkeeper
Alvaro Unanua made five saves, including a big stop early on a point-blank bid by Kristian Colaci that loomed even larger after the Eagles (0-3-1) struck for three goals after that stop. Biola goalkeeper JD Gunn made a pair of saves, also from close range, for the Eagles.
Cal State LA took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when
Oliver Diaz headed in a corner kick from
Daniel Garcia for his second goal of the season. Just under six minutes later,
Bryan Ortega converted on a penalty kick to make it 2-0. It was Ortega's second goal of the season as well.
Biola, though, took over for the remainder of the half and wound up taking a halftime lead. An onrushing Colaci accepted a pass from Matteo Napoletano and rifled in a shot to make it 2-1 in the 31st minute and, less than three minutes later, scored again from point-blank range after a pass from Samuel Skartnes.
Then, six minutes after that, Aidan Hill split the defense, dribbled into the box and fired a shot inside the near post and put the Eagles ahead, 3-2, and marking the first time this season Cal State LA had trailed.
The Golden Eagles, though, scored a pair of goals in the second half to take the lead.
Manuel Garcia tied it in the 57th minute with a laser of a shot after he got a full run onto a loose ball well outside the box that settled in just inside the far post. It was Garcia's first goal of the season.
Cal State LA got the game-winning goal in the 69th minute when Radel scored his second goal of the season.
Manuel Garcia picked up his team-leading third assist when he sent a long free kick into the box, where Diaz was able to get the ball to an open Radel for the point-blank score.
Cal State LA's defense held from there, although Unanua did have to come out of his goal to smother an attempt by Napoletano in the final 10 minutes.
Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a road game at No. 20 Azusa Pacific.
Gallery: (9-7-2022) Men's Soccer vs Biola
