Box Score
Despite a late rally, the BJU Bruins men's soccer team again came up short as the team fell to Truett-McConnnell University 2-1 on Saturday in Cleveland, Georgia. With the loss, the Bruins have now dropped three straight and move to 4-8 on the season.
"We had some good movement at times but we struggled to consistently execute in creating chances on goal," Bruins Head Coach Jesse McCormick said.
The Bruins came into the day on the heels of a tough home loss to St. Andrews University on Tuesday night. They knew they would be in for a tough test against the Bears of Truett-McConnell as TMU was ranked in the top 25 NAIA poll with a 9-1-1 record. It was senior day for the Bears and the crowd wanted to send those senior players out with a win.
From the opening kickoff, both teams exchanged shots early on hoping to gain the upper hand. Jared Simmons was able to create some pressure on the Bears net early on but couldn't capitalize as the score remained 0-0.
In the 11th minute of play, the Bears got on the board as Joao Costa scored to put Truett-McConnell up 1-0. The Bears continued to ride momentum as they controlled possession and pressured the Bruins net with shots. Isaac Landry stood strong for the Bruins with several saves in the opening half as the Bruins went into the break trailing 1-0.
As the second half began, the Bruins pushed the ball ahead looking for the equalizer. Caleb Myers and Nick Marks were able to get shots on frame, but they couldn't find the back of the net. With the team continuing to be aggressive offensively, the Bears took advantage on the counter and extended their lead as Costa scored his second goal of the match in the 61st minute of play to make the score 2-0.
Refusing to quit, the Bruins worked the ball ahead. They knew time wasn't on their side with the half continuing to slip away. In the 79th minute of play, the Bruins finally broke through as Micah Kline fed Jacob Kester with a beautiful pass and Kester did the rest to put the team on the board trailing 2-1.
With just minutes to play, the Bruins came back looking to tie the match but the Bears defense stood strong as they held on for the 2-1 win.
"We did a much better job in the 2nd half in creating opportunities," Coach McCormick said. "We plan to build on that as we move forward."
Jacob Kester notched his second goal of the season while Micah Kline picked up his first assist of the year. Despite giving up two goals on the day, Bruins keeper Isaac Landry had a strong performance with 12 saves on the night. The Bears out shot the Bruins 28-7 including a 14-5 shots on goal margin.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again as they team travels to Columbia, South Carolina on Tuesday night for a matchup with Columbia International University.
