Box Score The Bob Jones University Bruins showed they were anxious for the season to begin as the team routed Johnson University 7-0 on Thursday night. "It was great for us to build some momentum to start the season,"
Bruins head coach Jesse McCormick said. "We look to get some more things finalized later on this week to prepare for next game." The Bruins came out strong in the opening minutes and Matt Moore returned to his dominant 2013 form as he received a pass from Ryan McCarty over the top to beat the keeper and put the team up 1-0 just 5 minutes into the contest. Moore struck again in the 21st minute as he finished a pass through the box from Stephen Grider. The Bruins refused to let up the pressure as Josh Harm won the ball in the box and scored to make it 3-0.
While the offense was firing on all cylinders, the defense was solid and goalkeeper Andrew Kester helped to keep the Royals out of the box with great communication and in making key saves by coming off his line. The Bruins extended their lead off the rocket shot of Garret Martin in the 31st minute to make it 4-0. Lee Nichols put the exclamation point on an incredible 1st half for the Bruins by re-directing a centered pass from Ryan McCarty into the back of the net just before the halftime whistle to give the Bruins a 5-0 lead at the half.
"At times our combination play was working well," Bruins' midfielder Ryan McCarty said. "That team play, combined with some good individual plays allowed us to get a lot of shots on goal and the win." In the second half, the Bruins continued to keep up the pressure, but the team executed nearly to perfection in moving the ball up the field and generating great opportunities to score. In the 56th minute, Bryce Colon sent a beautiful through pass to John Wilson who finished the play to make it 6-0.
In the late stages of the game, Marvell Lareche made a great move in the box and was fouled on the play giving the Bruins a PK. Travis Woodham took the penalty shot duties and notched his first goal of the season in the 64th minute to put the Bruins up 7-0.
From there, the team continued to control possession while limiting the Royals to just 3 shots on frame throughout the match. The final whistle ended the high-powered Bruins incredible performance by handing them their first win in a 7-0 victory.
"We really were able to exploit their back line with lots of speed from our forwards," Bruins' defenseman Travis Woodham said. "We dominated possession the whole game and we really started to move the ball quickly by our mids working together to create great chances on goal." The Bruins outshot the Royals 38-6 throughout the match. Matt Moore led the Bruins with 2 goals while Travis Woodham, Lee Nichols, Garrett Martin, Josh Harm and John Wilson each scored one goal. Ryan McCarty picked up 3 assists and Bryce Colon recorded 1 assist. The Bruins will be on the road again for their next matchup as they travel to Southern Wesleyan University next Thursday night for their first conference game.
