La Mirada, Calif. - The Vanguard Lions finished sixth in the GSAC final standings to earn a first-round date in the GSAC Postseason Tournament with the Biola Eagles. Seeded third, the Eagles tied sixth-seeded Vanguard 1-1, but out-scored the Lions 4-2 in the postgame penalty kick shootout to advance to the semifinal round.

It was an intense physical battle from the start with Biola taking a 1-0 lead 34 minutes into the contest on a goal by Kennedy Chongo from about 25 yards out, beating VU’s keeper Trevor Herrera for the game’s first goal.

The Lions exited the halftime break determined to score, and it took less than ten minutes of the second half to get the job done. Taking advantage of an Eagle foul, the Lions sent junior All-GSAC performer Tomislav Colic to take the free kick. It paid off as Colic hit the upper V from 20 yards out, tying the game 1-1 to relieve some pressure off the Lions.

The defenses held the rest of the way as Biola’s Aaron Fenlason notched three second half saves against the Lions, and the Eagles took six shots off frame.

Neither team put a shot on target in the overtime periods, combining for eight total attempts, but the game ended 1-1 after 110 minutes of play.

Needing a shootout to decide which team would advance to the GSAC semifinals, the teams sent their selections to the Line to face off on the penalty kick line.

Fenlason came up big for the Eagles when he stopped Vanguard’s first shot and the Eagles took a 1-0 lead on a shot made by Marco Ruvalcaba. Both teams made their second shot before Shalom Bako gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead as Vanguard’s third shot missed wide. Biola sealed a semifinal berth when the Eagles converted the fourth point of the shootout, winning 4-2.