Box Score
The Bruins were in for a rough awakening on Thursday night as the team fell to the Bryan College Lions 5-1 in the regular season opener in Dayton, Tennessee.

"They came out strong and we started slow," Bruins Head Coach Jesse McCormick said. "We had a lot of trouble getting anything going in the first half on the attack."

With two preseason exhibitions under their belt, the Bruins were ready for the start of the 2017 campaign. They knew they would be in for a tough test against the Lions who had beaten the Bruins 3-0 in Greenville last season while finishing the year at 16-3-3.

In the opening minutes, the Lions went right to work as they used good combination play to move the ball into the attacking third. It didn't take long for the Lions to strike as they scored just over three minutes into the contest to go up 1-0. The Lions continued their relentless attack as the Bruins tried everything to slow them down. The Lions scored again in the 12th minute of action as they increased their lead 2-0. 

The Bruins began to settle into a rhythm, but the team struggled to maintain a consistent attack on offense as through balls were intercepted or turned aside by the Lions back line. Just before the half, the Lions were awarded a PK as Brad Spooner beat Bruins keeper Andrew Kester with a well placed shot to put Bryan College up 3-0 at halftime. The Lions out shot the Bruins 17-0 in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half, the Bruins were determined to shore up their mistakes and claw their way back into the game. Passing improved and the team found themselves in better positions to score. But the Bruins remained scoreless as they couldn't sustain their offensive attack. The Lions took advantage as Spooner again scored to make it a 4-0 lead. 

Refusing to quit, the Bruins came right back and started to push the ball forward. They finally found a way to penetrate the Lions defense as Danyon Moore slid a pass to Jared Simmons who finished the play to put the Bruins on the board. Still, the team knew they had an uphill battle as they were down 4-1. 

With just minutes to play, the Lions put an exclamation point on their win as Keith Lyons scored with just three minutes remaining to seal the victory 5-1. 

"Our second half was better in us being able to put more pressure on them," Coach McCormick said. "We still struggled with our chances to attack but it was great to have good build up from several guys on the goal we got." 

Bruins keeper Andrew Kester made five saves on the night while Jared Simmons notched his first goal of the season. Next up, the Bruins will return to Alumni Stadium for their home opener Saturday night as the team welcomes Johnson University. 

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