Box Score
The Bruins dropped a tough match on Thursday afternoon in Laurinburg, North Carolina as the team fell to the St. Andrews University Knights 2-0. "I thought we stacked up well against St. Andrews tonight," Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We made some mental mistakes that stung us but overall played a strong game against a very good team."

The Bruins came into the match having won three of their last four games. Their most recent win came on the road as the team defeated Truett-McConnell College 2-1 on Saturday. The Bruins knew they would have to play their best as they battle the Knights who came into the match with an 8-2-1 record and were unbeaten in their last 4 matches. 

In the opening minutes, the Bruins came out with good possession but couldn't seem to find open lanes into the attacking third. The Knights countered getting several looks on frame in the opening minutes but Bruins keeper Kristen Haertlein was up to the task with several saves. The Knights found the chink in Haertlein's armor as they scored a goal in the 25th minute to take a 1-0 lead. The Bruins tried to counter, but were only able to generate two shots in the opening half as they trailed 1-0 at the break.

As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to balance their defensive zone with the hopes of transitioning to a quick counter attack. The team did a great job of marking attackers as the Knights weren't able to extend their lead. Offensively, the Bruins tried to feed the ball ahead to their attack line but the Knights turned aside each opportunity. In the 86th minute, St. Andrews put the game out of reach as Anna Werneth scored to make it 2-0. Despite the Bruins attempts to counter, the Knights held on for the clean sheet and won the match 2-0. 

"We could have been better technically and have made better decisions tactically but overall I believe this was a positive experience," Coach Carmichael said. "We had some chances but in the end fell short. I am proud of our team for working hard to the end. They demonstrated they can compete with very strong teams. We need to be better focused for the entirety of the match and have to still find that extra gear on the defensive side of the ball collectively. But overall a good effort against a good team."

The Bruins were outshot 14-7 in the match and were only able to generate three shots on goal. Kristen Haertlein had 6 saves on the night as the Bruins fall to 9-6 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will host Spartanburg Methodist College on Saturday night. The team will honor the three seniors on the squad this season at their homecoming match in Alumni Stadium at 4 p.m.