Box Score
"I am not trying to do too much but just playing hard and playing good defense to give the starters a little rest," Bruins' midfielder Lee Nichols said as the sophomore scored a pair of goals off the bench for the Bruins as the team picked up a key 3-0 conference win over Columbia International University on Monday night. 

"He showed up ready to play," Coach Jesse McCormick said. "He got a goal early and from there it was on. In the second half, his touches were clean and he had great composure in front of the net."
 
 

The Bruins entered the match having won 3 of their last four games and stood at 8-4 on the season. The Rams were 5-5-1 on the season having come off a 3-3 draw to Emmanuel College. The cool night weather of Greenville, South Carolina presented a great night for a soccer match as the next chapter of this cross-state rivalry was about to be written. 

The Rams came out in the opening minutes and began to work the ball into the attacking third. Dundas Clark came up with a couple of big saves for the Bruins early and the defense stood strong against the Rams attack. The Bruins began to counter and worked the ball up the field. In the 22nd minute of play, Ryan McCarty sent a beautiful cross into the middle which fell to the feet of Jared Simmons who finished the play to make it 1-0. The game took a turn for the physical as both teams battled for possession of the ball resulting in three different cautions being given to the Rams throughout the first half. 

As the half was coming to a close, the Bruins again went on the attack and were given a free kick just outside the box after Stephen Grider had been taken down from behind. On the ensuing kick, Garrett Martin sent a low bending cross into the box which was redirected by Lee Nichols to put the Bruins up 2-0 just before the half. Despite having just 4 shots in the half, the Bruins took advantage of their opportunities to go into the half up 2-0. 

"We had a lot of possession but didn't create a lot of shots but the shots we did take were in very dangerous areas," Coach McCormick said. "Really it came down to taking advantage of those one-on-one battles and being in the right position to take advantage of those opportunities." 

The Rams were determined to get back into the game and began to work the ball into position to score in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 54th minute of play, the Rams nearly broke through on a centering pass but Dundas Clark made a key save to keep CIU off the board. The Rams continued to try to work the ball into position, but the Bruins defensive line anchored by Travis Woodham and Bryce Colon continued to turn away opportunities. 

In the 83rd minute, the Bruins got another goal from Lee Nichols as he scored on a well-placed opposite post shot to cushion the Bruins lead 3-0. From there, the Rams went into desperation mode as the team did everything they could to try to score. The Bruins defense continued to turn away each opportunity and held on for the clean sheet as the final buzzer handed the Bruins a 3-0 victory. 

"I'm really proud of our guys and the way they played tonight," Coach McCormick said. "We know our next match is going to be tough but we have to continue to take steps forward and come ready to play each night." 

Lee Nichols led the way with two goals and Jared Simmons scored one. Ryan McCarty recorded two assists and Garrett Martin recorded one as the team improved to 9-4 on the season including 2-2 in conference play. The Bruins were outshot in the match 17-9, but the team was able to take advantage of key opportunities to score. Next up, the Bruins will welcome Truett-McConnell College on Thursday night.