Box Score
The BJU Bruins took the field on Friday night for a matchup against the Piedmont College Lions in Demorest, Georgia. The Bruins were facing their first match in a week after Monday's game was postponed. The Bruins entered the match at an even 2-2-0 while the Lions have started off the season strong at 4-2-1. One thing was for sure in this game, the Bruins would be facing a team with a plethora of talent.
As the game began, the Lions immediately took control of possession as Lions forward Sidney Smith and company controlled the pace of the game. The Bruins would counter with crisp passes, but again struggled to get an offensive rush going. Both teams battled back and forth with both getting several opportunities to break the scoreless tie. In the 21st minute the Lions would finally break the tie as Sidney Smith fired a shot past goalie Jon Sandy for the goal making it 1-0.
With their backs against the wall, the Bruins responded by going on the offensive and making desperate attempts to knot up the score. Their efforts would eventually prevail as Travis Woodham scored an unassisted goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Bruins celebration would be short lived as the Lions would respond less than a minute later as the Lions Justin Whitaker scored with less than a minute to go in the half to make the score 2-1 at intermission.
As the second half began, the Bruins began to see the true star of the game as Lions forward Sidney Smith began to take over the game. "We did a good job pressuring on defense," Coach Jesse McCormick said. "We just could not contain Smith. He really played a great game tonight."
Smith notched his second goal of the night less than four minutes into the second half making it 3-1. With their lead now at two the Lions began to play on the defensive as the Bruins began to try everything to make a run on the goal. Despite 10 shots on goal for the Bruins, the Lions defense stiffled every offensive threat.
The Lions then put the nail in the coffin as Lions forward Sidney Smith scored in the 74th minute to secure the hat trick and a 4-1 win for the Lions. "We did a great job winning some of the 50/50 battles we had talked about," Coach McCormick said. "It just all comes down to playing consistent. That is something we still are working on." With the loss the Bruins fall to 2-3-0 on the season.
The Bruins will have little time to rest as the team will continue their road trip. Tomorrow afternoon the Bruins will travel from Georgia to Alabama for a matchup with Concordia College in Selma, Alabama.
