The Lady Bruins soccer team opened preseason play against the Citadel (NCAA DI) on Saturday night with the Bulldogs taking a 4-0 victory. "We started out well," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We held our own in the opening minutes and at the end of the match but we just need to take care of the ball better and not give away possession easily."
The Bruins came into the match after just four days of practice. Because of weather conditions, the exhibition was moved to the Kroc Center in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. The teams played three separate 30 minute periods.
The Bulldogs came out strong from the opening kickoff and controlled possession. Still, the Bruins were able to hold their own and turn aside scoring opportunities. But their defensive armor wouldn't hold as the Bulldogs scored on a shot just outside of the box to go up 1-0. From there, the Bruins tried to find the answer offensively, but shots sailed wide on the net as the first period ended with Citadel up 1-0.
In the second period, the Bulldogs took advantage of several mishaps on the Bruins back line as they scored three goals throughout the 30-minute period. "We were getting lazy defensively," Coach Carmichael said. Offensively, the Bruins still couldn't find the back of the net despite several chances to break into the scoring column. The referee whistle signaled the end of the period as the Bruins had a lot of ground to make up down 4-0.
With just thirty minutes to play, the Bruins turned in some of their best play of the night as the team did well with possession and in communication in all thirds. Despite playing from behind, the team continued to battle for each possession. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Bruins fell 4-0 to the Bulldogs.
"We need to work on linking the different lines of players, but overall this was a great opener for us," Coach Carmichael said.
The Bruins will get back to work as they prepare for the upcoming season. Next up, the team will play their final preseason exhibition on August 19 as they travel to Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina for a matchup with the Trojans.
