Box Score Abby Davis carried the bulk of the Lady Bruins offense on Saturday evening as the team overcame the rainy weather conditions to defeat the University of Pikeville 4-0 at Alumni Stadium. 

"The surfaces were slick, but overall we had a great performance tonight," Coach Chris Carmichael said. "The team has the attitude in the attacking third that they want to get the ball in the net. It comes down to a heart issue of wanting to win and finish strong and our team is doing that to hopefully give us a good end to the season." 

 

The Bruins were coming off an impressive 11-0 victory over Johnson University Florida on Friday night, snapping the team's 4-game losing streak. The University of Pikeville Bears entered Saturday's match with a 2-11 record, and the Bruins were hoping their stellar offensive play would continue as the rains poured on Alumni Stadium. 

As the match began, both teams adjusted to the weather conditions as passes were a bit sloppy to begin. The Bruins were able to get into a rhythm and began to move the ball up the field. In the 18th minute, the team caught a break as a deflected ball fell to the feet of Abby Davis who buried the shot past the Bears keeper to make it 1-0. The Bruins didn't let up, and continued to pressure the Bears net with shots. The team extended their lead in the 27th minute as a cross by Kaitlyn Hummel found the head of Caralise Roach to put the Bruins up 2-0. 

The Bears looked to counter, but the Bruins defensive wall stood strong as the tandem of Tessie Estrella and Ally Jenkins thwarted each offensive threat. As the half ended, the Bruins took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. 

In the second half, the Bruins came out strong and wasted little time as Abby Davis scored a goal on a breakaway less than two minutes into the half to put the team up 3-0. The Bears responded and came down the field as a shot bounced off the crossbar but sailed wide. That shot was about the only opportunity the Bruins defense yielded as the back line stood strong. 

The Bruins put the nail in the coffin in the 80th minute when Caralise Roach threaded a pass to Miriam Lozano who beat the keeper in a one-on-one breakaway to put the Bruins up 4-0. Despite the efforts of the Bears to counter, the Bruins completed the clean sheet and won the match 4-0. 

"We've done what we needed to do these last couple of matches," Coach Carmichael said. "We have the momentum going but we just have to keep the energy high and keep playing well. We know our next match is going to be a tough match against Toccoa Falls so we're hoping to continue to play well for that." 

Abby Davis scored two goals while Caralise Roach had one goal and one assist. Miriam Lozano scored a goal and Ally Jenkins recorded an assist. Jessica Baun made 3 saves to record the clean sheet. With the win, the Bruins improve to 5-8 on the season (3-1 in conference) and will have an important match on Tuesday night as the team welcomes conference rival Toccoa Falls College to Greenville.