Box Score
The Bruins welcomed in the Truett-McConnell Bears on Thursday night to Alumni Stadium. The Bruins were coming off a 2-0 shutout of Concordia College last Saturday night. Truett-McConnell entered the match at 5-4 and were riding a two-game winning streak after back to back shutouts over Point University and St. Andrews University. The Bruins have been playing excellent defense as of late, but the squad has struggled to finish their offensive opportunities. The battle of the Bears was set to begin in front of the Bruin faithful as BJU and Truett-McConnell took the field. 

As the game began, the Bruins and Bears exchanged possessions and turnovers with both teams seeking to establish tempo of the game. The Bruins midfield play was excellent in this match as the team moved the ball seamlessly through the Bears defense to their strikers. Both teams had several near-goal chances, but each time the shot would sail just wide. The Bears nearly scored off a cross, but Joe Wooster made a great stop to keep the Bears off the board. Nearing the end of the first half, the Bears caught a break as Cody Brown sent a header in passed Joe Wooster to put the Bears up 1-0 going into the half.

"We felt like we needed to continue to play our game," Coach McCormick said. "Overall we played well offensively. We just need to put a few more in the back of the net."

Coming out in the second half, the Bruins struck early off a beautiful combination goal by the Bruins offense finished with a pass from Travis Woodham to Matt Moore for the goal just 21 seconds into the second half. The Bruins rode their momentum and controlled a majority of possession throughout the second half. The midfield continued to help in transitioning from defense to offense to move the ball up the field to create opportunities. Several times the Bruins had near goals, but the shot couldn't find the back of the net as the game continued 1-1. At the end of regulation, the Bruins had an opportunity for the win as Travis Woodham broke away from the Bears defense but failed to capitalize as regulation ended tied 1-1. 

"We didn't need to change a lot as we went into overtime but just continue to control the ball and move it. There was no need to panic," Coach McCormick said. "We wanted to make sure we transitioned quickly when we lose it to not give them good looks." 

Both teams desperately were looking for the golden goal in extra time. The Bears had several great looks, but Wooster came up big for the Bruins in overtime to keep the game tied. As the second overtime period began, the Bruins continued to generate open looks, but failed to find the back of the net. In the end, the final buzzer handed the Bears and Bruins a 1-1 draw. 

"We had a lot of guys working hard out here tonight," Coach McCormick said. "We have got depth which gives us an opportunity to give them more minutes and have some of those guys step up as they get more time on the field." 

With the draw, the Bruins move to 4-4-1 on the season. Matt Moore scored his 8th goal of the season and Travis Woodham picked up his second assist. The Bruins will travel to Florida this Saturday for a much-anticipated match with the Clearwater Christian Cougars on Saturday afternoon.