Box Score
A goal in the second half by Leah Edwards proved to be enough as the Bob Jones University Bruins women's soccer team held on for a 1-0 victory over Oglethorpe University on Saturday afternoon. "This wasn't the cleanest match for us," Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We had to work hard in this match and really push through some of the fatigue issues we were having. We had a couple good looks on goal and finally got one in which proved to be the difference maker."

The Bruins were coming off a disappointing upset loss to Toccoa Falls College on Friday night. Oglethorpe University (NCAA DIII) entered Saturday's match with a 3-2 record for the season. The two teams met once during the 2013 season with the Bruins shutting out the Stormy Petrels 4-0 in Atlanta, Georgia. As the two teams took the field in front of the hometown fans, the Bruins looked to bounce back from Friday's loss. 

 

From the outset, the majority of this match would be played in the midfield as both teams exchanged possession multiple times throughout the match. Both teams struggled to keep possession as the Petrels and Bruins each looked for opportunities to move into scoring position.

Early on, the Bruins had a golden opportunity as Natasha Walters fired a shot off the post. Later on it was the Petrels who had an opportunity as Emily Silvia fired a shot inside the 18 just over the crossbar. Despite their efforts, the two teams finished the half as they began with the score 0-0 at the break. 

"We needed to shore up our balance and possession and ball speed," Coach Carmichael said. "We needed to be sharper on our first touches and be a bit better technically."  

In the second half, the Bruins looked to have better passing as the team looked to gain the upper hand. The two teams continued to battle in the midfield as both defensive lines stood strong. In the 56th minute, the Bruins would finally break through as Paige Englehart made a run down the left side of the field. Her cross deflected off of a Petrels defender right to the feet of Leah Edwards who buried the shot into the lower left corner of the net to make it 1-0 Bruins. 

Oglethorpe refused to surrender as the Petrels came roaring back looking for the equalizer. Each run was sniffed out by Ally Jenkins and the Bruins defense as the team stood strong against the opposition. Tessa Hoskinson made 8 saves on the night and played solid between the pipes all game. 

With less than 30 seconds to play, Isobel Johnston was called for a hand ball just outside the box. The ensuing free kick sailed over the cross bar giving the Bruins a 1-0 victory over Oglethorpe University. 

"We were able to fight through a lot of issues today," Coach Carmichael said. "We weren't possessing well, but despite that we were able to make some other things work. We just got to get a little sharper technically. If we do that I think we'll be good." 

With the win, the Bruins climb to 5-2-1 on the season. The team responded well to Friday's loss by overcoming their fatigue of playing two matches in less than 24 hours. Leah Edwards scored her first goal of the 2014 season and Paige Englehart picked up her 3rd assist for the season tying her with Lauren Foushee for the team lead. The team will have some time to rest and recharge as they have a week off before welcoming Chowan University next Saturday afternoon.