Box Score
It took overtime and a thrilling finish, but the Lady Bruins battled hard throughout as the team won their 3rd consecutive NCCAA DII National Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating Providence University College 1-0.
"It was a close match all the way to the end," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "Providence gave us a great challenge today and we congratulate them on a great season. I am proud of our players as they never gave up and worked so hard all season."
BJU entered the national tournament with the #1 seed and won the semi-final match with a 7-0 victory over #4 seeded Randal University. The Pilots of Providence University College came into the tournament as the #3 seed but were able to upset the #2 seeded Grace Bible College 2-0 in the semifinals.
The Bruins dominated the battle of possession in the first half, but the Pilots defense held strong forcing tough shots and opportunities. BJU had a 12-1 shot advantage and 6-0 advantage in corner kicks. Perhaps the best scoring opportunity of the first half came with under 30 seconds left as a corner kick forward connected with midfielder Kristyn Rygh but her header just missed the goal as the first half ended 0-0.
In the second half, the Providence Pilots defense remained tough. Bruins forward Abby Davis tested goalkeeper Kiran Hodges with seven shots in the match, but Hodges was up for the challenge as she made several great saves. With under 15 minutes left in the championship game, Davis fired a shot over Hodges's head, but she was able to climb the ladder to make the save of the match to keep the game scoreless. The Bruins offense kept on the attack as they looked to get the winning goal as the regulation time was coming to an end. Abby Davis was able to break past the Pilots defense and floated a shot over goalkeeper Kiran Hodges's head. It appeared to be a perfect shot but hit the post and went out of play. The buzzer ended regulation with the score tied 0-0.
The Pilots started to be more aggressive offensively in the golden goal overtime period. Striker Julika Phommarath had a breakaway opportunity on goal but Bruins' defender Jennifer Townsend was able to step in front of Phommarath's shot to deflect it out of bounds for a Pilots corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick, Phommarath placed a great ball in the direction of striker Zoe Kriznic but Lady Bruins goalkeeper Jessica Baun made a great save by punching it away to keep the match scoreless halfway through the first overtime period.
With under two minutes left in the first period of overtime the Lady Bruins were awarded a free kick just outside of the box after Abby Davis was fouled by Pilots defender Raychel Algera. Coach Carmichael gave the nod to senior Lauren Foushee to take the kick.
"I had a great feeling about it," Foushee said. "I'm thankful that coach trusted me and I just wanted to come through in the clutch for my teammates."
As the referee's whistle blew, Foushee launched the free kick in the air over the entire Providence defense and past the outstretched arms of the Pilots keeper to win the match 1-0. The Bruins rushed the celebration as the team captured their third straight national title.
"This was a special team," Coach Carmichael said. "We never gave up and just continued to attack. Everything we worked on this year in practice and in the regular season led up to this moment."
The Lady Bruins will graduate eight seniors from the squad who will leave a legacy winning three titles in the past four seasons. "We will have a hole to fill going into next season," Coach Carmichael said. "All eight of our seniors mean a lot to the BJU program and they will be missed dearly."
It was a memorable season for the Lady Bruins who faced their most difficult regular season schedule to date to finish 11-9-1. The tough slate of games paid off as it prepared them for postseason play leading to their 4th national title in the last 5 years.
