Box Score
Abby Davis and Miriam Lozano each scored a pair of goals as the Lady Bruins secured the #1 seed in the NCCAA DI South Regional tournament with a 4-0 win over Toccoa Falls College on Tuesday night.

"Toccoa Falls played a great match and really pressed us the whole game," Bruins head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "Our back line did a great job of handling their pressure and feeding the ball into the midfield. Collectively as a group we played well today and were able to come away with an important region win."

The match featured the top-two teams in NCCAA division two with the #1 ranked Bruins battling on the road against the #2 seeded Screaming Eagles. The two teams played earlier in the season with the Bruins capturing a slim 1-0 victory at home. The team was continuing to ride momentum as they were coming off an impressive 5-0 victory over Trinity Baptist College on Saturday. Toccoa Falls entered the match with a 2-1-1 conference record after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Trinity Baptist College on Friday. Both teams knew the regional seeding implications as they took the pitch to write the next chapter of their region rivalry.

In the opening minutes, the Bruins came out with strong possession as they looked to advance into the attacking third. The Bruins midfield was able to work effectively and free up attackers for shots on goal. It didn't take long for the Bruins to gain the advantage as Natasha Walters found Abby Davis with a great pass and Davis beat the Eagles keeper to put the Bruins up 1-0. Less than two minutes later, the Bruins added to their lead as Mimi Lozano scored off an assist from Anna Daulton.

With momentum on their side, the Bruins continued to push the ball forward while limiting the Eagles chances to score. Still, the Bruins were looking to extend their lead knowing the Eagles were going to keep up their offensive attack. As the half came to a close, the Bruins went into the break with a 2-0 lead.   

In the second half, the Bruins came out strong again with good possession and crisp passing. But the Eagles began to find ways to generate good looks on frame as they tried to get on the scoreboard. The Bruins defense led by Jenny Townsend and Ally Jenkins continued to keep the Eagles attack away as the team preserved the clean sheet and the lead.

At the midway point of the second half, the Bruins extended their lead as Natasha Walters again found Abby Davis for the goal to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Similar to their first half goals, the Bruins would score again just 10 minutes later as Mimi Lozano beat the keeper with a beautiful shot to put the team up 4-0. From there, the Bruins locked down defensively as they held on for the 4-0 shutout. 

"We were able to make some adjustments to how they were playing us and take advantage of that," Coach Carmichael said. "We really got a lot of good minutes from several players tonight and did really well in most facets of the game. We'll continue to work hard to be stronger and faster so that we are ready for regionals in a few weeks." 

With the win, the Bruins improve to 8-4 on the season an 5-0 in region play. The team has outscored their conference opponents 24-0 while not allowing a single goal this season against region opponents. The win secures the top-seed for the Lady Bruins in the NCCAA regional playoffs October 27-29. The Bruins will play the winner of Toccoa Falls College and Trinity Baptist College for the region championship on October 29 at Alumni Stadium. Next up, the Bruins will have another tough road game as they travel to Newberry College (NCAA DII) on Thursday afternoon. 

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