Box Score
The Bob Jones University Bruins soccer team is on their way to the NCCAA DII National Championship game as the team defeated #6 ranked Ozark Christian College 5-0 on Thursday afternoon in Kissimmee, Florida.
"This was a good game for us as we executed what we wanted to do," Bruins Coach Jesse McCormick said. "It will be important for us to recover well tomorrow and get some rest and then come out sharp on Saturday."
The Bruins came into the game with confidence as the team had shutout #3 ranked Grace Bible College 5-0 on Wednesday afternoon. The team was ready to play their final pool play match with a trip to the championship just 90 minutes away.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins came out with good possession, but the Ambassadors played strong defensively as OCC thwarted the Bruins scoring attempts. Still, the team continued to pressure the net and nearly had a goal as John Wilson and Jared Simmons had a great give and go, but it was blocked wide by the Ambassadors keeper.
As the half wore on, the Bruins continued to get good looks on frame but couldn't seem to find the back of the net. With less than a minute to go, it looked as though the two teams would end the half scoreless. But Bruins defender Andrew Zhang dribbled the ball around several defenders and found a seam towards the goal. He fired a well-placed shot which slid past the keeper as the Bruins took the lead with just 15 seconds to go in the half.
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong again with good possession as they were able to advance quickly into the attacking third. John Wilson added to the Bruins lead as he went on a run past the Ambassador defense and beat the keeper with an opposite corner shot to give the team a 2-0 lead. The Bruins kept the pressure up and scored again just minutes later off a brilliant shot by Marvell Lareche to extend the lead 3-0.
As the game began to draw to a close, the Bruins kept up their relentless attack as goals by Will Moy and Shadrach Nyeko helped the Bruins put the exclamation point on a 5-0 win. With the shutout, the Bruins won their pool and will advance to the NCCAA DII National Championship on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. They will await the winner of the other tournament pool which will be decided on Friday.
