Box Score
For the third straight season, the Bob Jones University Bruins women's soccer team won the NCCAA DII South Region Championship. The team rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the second half to win the match 2-1 over #2 seeded Trinity Baptist College.
"Our team showed they have the heart of a champion today," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "I am extremely proud of their hard work and effort in the face of one of the biggest challenges we have ever faced. They had to dig deep and did so to pull out the win."
The Bruins earned the #1 seed for the regional tournament and took the field against Trinity Baptist College who had defeated Toccoa Falls College 5-1 in the semifinal round. The Bruins and Eagles met twice in the 2016 season with the teams splitting their regular season matches. With a trip to the NCCAA DII National Tournament on the line, the Eagles and Bruins took the pitch to decide who would represent the South region.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins were able to possess well as they moved the ball into the attacking third. Abby Davis and Mikayla Rajcan were able to get off shots, but the Eagles were up to the task as Courtney Blanset made several saves for TBC in the first half. Defensively, the Bruins were able to keep the Eagles attack at bay as TBC didn't register a shot on frame in the first 45 minutes of play. Still, the two teams went back and forth trading possession as neither was able to find the back of the net with the score remaining 0-0 at the break.
As the second half began, both teams knew one goal could be the difference in the game. The Eagles and Bruins exhanged shots early on with both teams trying to gain the upper hand. At the midway point of the second half, the Eagles broke through as Dasia Shepherd headed in a goal to put TBC up 1-0 with just 27 minutes to play. The hometown fans erupted as the Eagles took the lead, looking to win their first ever region championship.
With the second half coming to a close, the Bruins knew they had little time remaining to find the equalizer. In the 71st minute of play, freshman Marissa Allebach found space and blasted a rocket shot from about 30 yards away. Her bending shot went past the outstretched arms of Eagles' keeper Courtney Blanset as the Bruins tied the game 1-1.
The Bruins were re-energized after drawing even so late in the match and they went right back to work pushing the ball ahead into Eagles territory. Abby Davis nearly put the Bruins in the lead with a hard shot but it was blocked by Blanset to keep the score tied.
Less than five minutes remained on the scoreboard as both teams began to wonder if overtime was in their future. In the 85th minute of play, Sarah Herr provided the go-ahead goal as she bent a beauty into the back of the net to give the Bruins a 2-1 advantage. The Eagles threw everything they had at the Bruins in the remaining minutes but the final buzzer sounded as the Bruins rushed the field in celebration as the team captured their third straight region championship.
"I have to give credit to Trinity Baptist as they played incredibly well in this match," Coach Carmichael said. "They deserve to be in the national tournament and it is always hard to see a strong team like theirs not get the chance to be in nationals. We're excited to move on and will continue to work hard and prepare."
The Bruins out shot the 18-4 in the match including an 8-2 shots on goal margin. Final seeding for the NCCAA DII National Tournament will be decided in the next few days as the tournament will begin November 16 at Bob Jones University. The Lady Bruins will look to win their 3rd straight national title and fourth in the last five seasons.
