IRVINE, Calif.- The Concordia University Irvine STUNT team welcomed in the California Baptist University Lancers to the CU Arena Thursday night for their 2021 season home opener. 
 
The Eagles started off with a 2-1 record for opening weekend at Vanguard and were feeling confident for their rematch versus CBU. In their first matchup the Lancers defeated the Eagles 17-8. Whenever the Lancers and Eagles face off, both teams know that the game is going to come down to little technicalities on routines. 
 
In the first quarter, the Eagles and Lancers both started out hot as both teams went back and forth with points. CBU had the early lead to start the first quarter but the Eagles and Lancers tied after Concordia head coach Karli Shutt called level four bringing the Lancers lead down to one. The Lancers went on to retain the one point lead heading into quarter two up 3-2.
 
In the second quarter, CBU started to expand their lead as they held the Eagles to only two points. CBU went into halftime up by four points on the Eagles bringing the score 7-3.
 
Going into the second half, the Eagles knew that in the third quarter the Lancers were notorious for their attention to detail and precision in the group jumps and tumbling portion of the match. Even though they knew it was going to be a tough battle in this quarter the Eagles remained confident coming out of the half with a lot of enthusiasm. CBU was tough on CUI expanding their lead 10-4 and limiting Concordia to only one point in the third quarter.
 
"We knew leading up to the night it would be a tough game so we spent a lot of time that week focusing on the little things that make a big difference in our routines," said junior base Devan Doyle. "Honestly one of the most important things for us during the game is keeping our sideline energy up and just trying to beat our own best game. My favorite part of every game is cheering on my friends and no matter what happens loving on my teammates for all the hard work they are putting on the mat."
 
The Eagles were down six points going into the fourth quarter and they knew there was a lot of work to be done to get back in the match. They had an opportunity to get back into the game because of the way the fourth quarter is scored. The fourth quarter combines the first three quarters into one routine which means that there is a total of three points that can be given per routine. The Lancers did the Eagles no favor as CBU received all 9 points from the three different routines in the final quarter. The final score was Lancers 19, Eagles six. 
 
Freshman flyer/tumbler standout Harmony Alarcon recapped the game with a quote.
 
"I would like to say that last night I felt very supported through my teammates after landing my full in level 7," responded Alarcon. "After hearing the sideline cheering after my full, I knew it looked great!" 
 
Alarcon, the Santa Clarita, Calif. native, has been an outstanding recruit for the Eagles this year performing at a high level on the more difficult stunt routines.
 
"Leading up to this game we knew it was going to come down to the little things," Shutt stated. "When you're going against strong competition every single detail matters. I'm proud of what our girls are putting out on the mat and were motivated to get back to practice and focus on those details!"
 
Concordia will have one more tussle with the Lancers this season up in Rocklin, Calif. for the Jessup Tournament on March 26.
 
Concordia's next match is going to be a fun one as they welcome in the Vanguard University Lions on March 10 to the CU Arena. This is one of the biggest rivalries in the sport of college STUNT as these two teams trade points like a ping pong rally. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. 

CLICK HERE to tune in for the live video stream and play-by-play analysis during Wednesday's match.
 
For the Full STUNT schedule, CLICK HERE