Box Score
The Bruins welcomed the St. Andrews University Knights on Thursday night to Greenville. The Bruins were playing their second home match of the season after playing to a 0-0 draw against Emmanuel College last Saturday night. The Knights came into Thursday's match with a 0-1 record after losing to Webber International 1-0.
As the game began, both teams took turns with possession. The Bruins continued their defensive dominance by limiting offensive opportunities for the Knights. Caitlyn Lehman and Rebecca Luttrell kept St. Andrews out of the box and Tori Anderson made several key saves to keep the game scoreless. The Bruins had several attempts throughout the first half, but failed to find the back of the net. As the buzzer sounded the Bruins and Knights were locked in a 0-0 draw.
"We are still experimenting a bit with our system of play," Coach Carmichael said. "One of our goals going into this game was to be consistent with getting the ball into our attacking half and creating more opportunities and being more mobile. We were less consistent with possession but played another solid night of defense."
In the second half, the Bruins and Knights played much the same as the first half with both teams going on the offensive yet protecting their net to not yield a goal. The Bruins showed great endurance in keeping pace with the Knights after playing a double overtime match last week. As the game wore on, the Bruins had several open looks with Lauren Peek and Tessie Estrella getting several offensive runs. The Knights countered with a near goal as a shot hit the crossbar before being cleared out. Still the teams were locked at 0-0 as the buzzer sounded for the end of regulation.
The Bruins found themselves in familiar territory as they entered the first extra time period. Both teams played very cautious in the first period not wanting to yield the golden goal. In the second overtime, the Bruins and Knights began to take more chances on the offensive end. With the clock winding down to 5 minutes left, the Knights had a corner kick. The Knights' Miranda Kearney took the corner kick which was received by freshman Alejandra Bittelman who scored to give the Knights the 1-0 overtime win.
"We had a miscommunication at the end and it cost us," Coach Carmichael said. "We just need to put it all together and be more consistent in our possession and play. These games will continue to help us grow as we get into our southeast region conference games."
The Bruins will have the day off tomorrow to rest and recover before they welcome the Reinhardt University Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
