Mimi Lozano provided the highlight of the night with a beautiful free kick goal for the Lady Bruins, but it wasn't enough as the team fell 3-1 to Anderson University on Tuesday night in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Bruins closed out the match well,
but the three-goal deficit was too much to overcome
in the 3-1 loss to Anderson University. "Overall tonight was not a great performance," head coach Chris Carmichael said. "We did not possess well and we didn't get to the game plan we wanted to but we'll watch the video and learn from it and better and stronger through it. It's experimental for us as we have different combinations of players that we're working on but overall I think we're fine."
The Bruins would be without several of their starters tonight which impacted the overall flow and gameplan for the team from the start. The Trojans and Bruins would play three 30 minute periods throughout the night for the last preseason matchup for the Bruins this season.
The team came out in the opening minutes and tried to take advantage of the home crowd by pushing the ball up the field. Early on, the Trojans were able to take possession from the Bruins and use those steals to their advantage in working into the attacking third for scoring opportunities.
The Trojans would strike first as a miscommunication between goalie and defensemen allowed the ball to drop right in front of the Bruins' net for an easy tap in goal to make it 1-0. The Trojans would add their second goal just minutes later off of a cross into the box which was re-directed into the lower right corner of the goal to make it 2-0 to end the opening 30-minute period.
In the second period, the Trojans would pick up another goal as a rocket free-kick opportunity sailed just past the outstretched arms of Jessica Baun for the goal. From there, the Bruins regrouped and were able to possess well in the closing moments of the period. Mimi Lozano and Jenn Wise had several opportunities on frame for the team, but despite their efforts, the Bruins finished the 2nd period down 3-0.
In the final period, the Bruins came out strong and possessed well in moving the ball up the field for scoring opporunties. They would get their golden chance as Abby Davis was fouled just outside the box. On the ensuing free kick, Mimi Lozano placed a beautiful shot into the upper left 90 of the net to put the Bruins on the board 3-1. The team continued to ride their momentum, but it was too little too late as the match ended with the Trojans winning 3-1.
"We knew collectively we were going to have to come out and work hard against a very good team, We knew it was going to be a difficult match for us and collectively I didn't think we played at the level that we should be able to play at this point. But it's preseason and we'll be able to fix this. We need to be more patient and get better movement across the pitch."
The Bruins will begin their 2015 regular season this week as the team begins a three-game road trip in Florida. First up, the Bruins will battle Warner University on Thursday night.
