Box Score The Bruins soccer team was riding high after a last-second 2-1 victory over Tennessee Temple University on Friday night. The team then got a rude wakeup call from the Reinhardt University Eagles in a 6-2 defeat on Saturday afternoon. "We had some lapses defensively that cost us," Coach Jesse McCormick said. The Eagles entered Saturday's match with an 8-1 with their only blemish coming in a 1-0 loss to Tennessee Wesleyan College last Saturday. The Bruins entered the match with a 5-6 record and were looking to climb back to .500 on the season.
In the opening minutes, the Eagles quickly established momentum as a defensive lapse by the Bruins allowed Jordan Smith-William to bend a shot by Joseph Wooster to put the Eagles up 1-0. The Bruins were taken back and looked to recharge. The Eagles kept up the tremendous pressure and struck again in the 12th minute as Jose Rubio made it a 2-0 advantage for Reinhardt. The Eagles then added two goals within a five minute stretch to increase their lead to 4-0.
The lone bright spot of the half came in the 34th minute as Ryan Woodham connected off a Ryan Beadles corner kick to put the Bruins on the board 4-1. Despite their chances, the Bruins were only able to manufacture 3 shots in the first half as the two teams went into the break with the score 4-1.
"They controlled the first half," Coach McCormick said. "Those defensive lapses and giveaways really hurt us in this game."
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong and were determined to get back into the game. Their energy would be depleted in the 51st minute as Mark Withers scored to make it 5-1 Eagles. Less than five minutes later, the Eagles put the nail in the coffin as Jose Rubio notched his second goal of the match to make it 6-1.
Refusing to quit, AJ Redlinger maneuvered through the Eagles defense and set up Bruins captain Travis Woodham on a breakaway. Woodham finished the play in the 88th minute to end the match on a high note for the Bruins who came away with a 6-2 loss to Reinhardt University.
"We showed a lot of fight in the second half," Coach McCormick said. "That was good to see. Good to have two quality goals against a very good team."
With the loss, the Bruins fall to 5-7 on the season. The team will have some time for rest and recovery as they prepare to welcome cross-state rival Columbia International University on Thursday night.
