Box Score
The Lady Bruins yielded four second half goals and the team couldn't recover as they fell to Ohio Christian University 5-2 on Friday afternoon in Circleville, Ohio.
"We didn't establish any rhythm of play," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We just kept on reacting to situations in the game instead of exerting our will into the game. There were some good moments, but possession was lacking and we failed to put the effort needed into defending our net and they punished us for it."
With the loss, the two-time defending national champs have fallen to 1-4 to begin the 2017 season. The team was met with yet another road challenge as they took on the Trailblazers who entered the match with a 1-2 record.
In the opening minutes, the Trailblazers came out with energy as they worked the ball towards the Bruins net with several shots in the opening minutes. The Bruins held their own as they turned aside opportunities. In the 17th minute of play, the Bruins took advantage of the counter as Mikayla Rajcan scored her first goal of her intercollegiate career with the team to put the Bruins up 1-0.
With a renewed sense of confidence, the Bruins came back out trying to add to their lead. The Trailblazers were able to control possession as they continued to use combination play to open up scoring lanes. With just minutes to go in the first half, OCU found the equalizer off the foot of Joy Pluta as she evened the score at 1-1 as both teams went into halftime.
In the second half, both teams came out looking to gain the upper hand. Just four minutes into the half, Kendra White put the Trailblazers ahead as she fired a well-placed shot into the back of the net to give OCU a 2-1 lead. Before the Bruins could find an answer, the Trailblazers struck again to increase their lead 3-1.
With their backs against a wall, the Bruins found an answer as freshman Becca Cabrera scored to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Bruins confidence was short-lived as the Trailblazers came right back on the next kickoff to score and make it 4-2. The Bruins tried to pressure the net offensively in the remaining minutes, but the team had trouble transitioning from offense to defense and the Trailblazers took advantage. In the 76th minute of play, Emmily King put the exclamation point on the OCU victory as the Trailblazers won 5-2.
"This game is over and we've been here before many times," Coach Carmichael said. "I am highly confident that the team will embrace the challenge before them and will turn our season around soon. We have the potential to be very successful, but we will have to dig deep as a team and stay focused."
The two teams were tied 15-15 in the shot column but the Trailblazers edged BJU with shots on goal 9-8. Next up, the Bruins will finish their Ohio road trip tomorrow afternoon with a matchup against Shawnee State University.
