The Lady Bruins overcame the fatigue of playing their 3rd match in the last four days as the team shutout Columbia International University 1-0 on Monday night in Greenville, South Carolina. This was the 6th straight win for the team who now improves to 9-8 on the season. 

 

"I thought we played great tonight," Coach Chris Carmichael said. "Overall we did what we had to do. Our possession play, wing play, creating opportunities were all good but we just needed to finish more of our opportunities. But again, great job by our team tonight." 

This was the first-ever meeting between the two women's soccer programs, as the Rams were entering their 1st season of intercollegiate competition. The Bruins came into the match on Monday night having outscored their previous 5 opponents 28-2. The Rams entered the match with a 6-5 record, having won just one of their last four games. The opening chapter of the BJU/CIU rivalry was about to add a new edition as the women's soccer programs took the pitch under the crisp weather of Alumni Stadium. 

The Bruins came out strong from the opening whistle and possessed well. The team was able to move the ball up the field into the attacking third, and used good combination play to create space to score. 

Abby Davis found space in the 15th minute, but her shot ricocheted off the cross bar and went wide. The Bruins continued to pound the Rams net with chances as several more shots hit the post. In the 27th minute, Davis again found space right in front of the net and had the goalkeeper beat but the shot was blocked by a Rams defender to keep the Bruins off the board. Finally the team was able to find the chink in the CIU armor as Lauren Foushee found Mimi Lozano ahead of the defense and Lozano fired a low shot into the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Bruins outshot the Rams 19-0 in the first half as they took a 1-0 lead into the break. 

"The first half was a strong half for us," Coach Carmichael said. "We knew our shots would go in eventually and we got the one that matters which is what counts."  

In the second half, the Bruins were determined to continue to pressure the net to add to their lead. Defensively, the tandem of Ally Jenkins, Leah Edwards, Meagan Hummel and Kaitlyn Hummel anchored the back line to keep opportunities at bay. The Rams were only able to muster off one shot in the game which was handled easily by Bruins' goalie Jessica Baun. 

The Bruins looked to go out on the attack and worked the ball up into the attacking third. The team had 18 shots on frame and 5 different shots hit off the crossbar, but each failed to find the back of the net. As the final whistle blew, the Bruins held on for their 6th straight victory in a 1-0 win over Columbia International University. 

"We need to just keep doing what we've been doing," Coach Carmichael said. "The team is stepping up big time and we need to just keep up our momentum going into regionals. We know we can still get better but that's why we work to get better." 

Mimi Lozano scored her 12th goal of the season while Lauren Foushee picked up the game's only assist. The Bruins outshot the Rams 30-1 in the match and improved to 9-8 on the season. Next up, the team will play their final match of the regular season as they celebrate "Senior Night" by hosting the Truett-McConnell College Bears on Saturday night.