Box Score The Bruins women's soccer team was on the road on Thursday night as they played the first of their three-game road trip. Their opponent would be the Florida College Falcons. Rain and lightning prevented these two teams from taking the pitch in August, so the two teams rescheduled for Thursday night.
The Bruins would be without several of their key players in this match. Most notably in the absence of Spencer Martin and Paige Englehart. The team was coming off a disappointing 6-0 loss against Georgia Gwinnett College on Tuesday night. Although short-handed, the Bruins would look to rely on several other key players as they took the pitch in Temple Terrace, Florida.
The Bruins and Falcons exchanged momentum in the opening minutes, with both teams trying to establish pace and possession. Both teams played physical to try to gain the upper hand. The Falcons would strike first as the Bruins found themselves in a 1-0 hole on the road. Despite the score, the Bruins regrouped and worked through their progressions to try for the equalizer. With less than a minute remaining in the half, the Bruins were awarded a free kick just outside the 18. Leah Edwards capitalized on the opportunity and sent a beautiful bender into the net to tie the game at 1-1 at the break.
"Florida College possessed very well and is a very hard working team," Coach Carmichael said. "This was a very physical match but our defense played strong."
In the second half, the Bruins continued to ride their momentum as Tessie Estrella moved the ball up the right wing and sent a beautiful through pass into the middle. With some well-designed trickery, Bruins forward Anna Daulton stepped over the pass and allowed it to come through to Sarah Herr who had lots of space in the middle of the box. Herr buried the shot just outside the 18 to put the Bruins up 2-1.
The team continued to play strong defense as goalie Tessa Hoskinson made several key saves throughout the remaining minutes. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins held on for a 2-1 win on the road.
"We didn't play our best game and possession was inconsistent," Coach Carmichael said. "That being said, our players demonstrated a strong will to finish the game strong and get the win. We were struggling without several of our players but we had a lot of players step up today."
With the win, the Bruins climb to 7-3-1 on the season. The team will have tomorrow to recover as the team will prepare for a rematch of the 2013 national championship game as the battle Clearwater Christian College on Saturday afternoon.
