The Lady Bruins had a statement win on Friday night as the team won their first region contest of the 2018 season with a 6-1 victory over Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Georgia. Although the score was close at the half, Abby Davis recorded a hat trick as the team scored five second-half goals to move to 5-4-2 on the season.
"Although we had a sluggish start, we did a good job of coming out in the second half with renewed energy and a desire to win," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "Our players stepped up and started playing with a deep passion to exert their will into the game. Our mobility off the ball and runs began to look creative and we were able to create numerous opportunities."
The Bruins had battled through a very difficult schedule to begin the 2018 season. On Friday, the team looked to see how they would fair against a familiar region foe. The Screaming Eagles came into the game at 2-8 on the season, including 0-2 in region play.
Senior Abby Davis continued to add to her dominant season as she helped give the Bruins the early lead with a goal off an assist from Kristyn Rygh. The Screaming Eagles were able to find the answer later in the first half as TFC netted a goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Bruins had several chances throughout the remainder of the half but the buzzer sounded sending both teams to their benches tied 1-1.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to gain the upper hand. They would find their answer on the foot of Davis again as a well-placed ball from Kayla Romeiser freed Davis to score to make it 2-1. The lead was extended just minutes later as Megan Brubaker scored off a corner kick to make it 3-1.
From there, the Bruins refused to back down as their combination play was stellar in the midfield which opened up lanes to score. Sarah Epperson buried a shot past the keeper to make it 4-1. Davis capped off her impressive night with her third hat trick of the season as she scored a goal off an assist from Brubaker to make it 5-1. Davis also added an assist as she found Jenny Townsend for the goal as the Bruins put an exclamation point on a dominant win as they defeated Toccoa Falls 6-1.
"We lacked urgency and struggled with possession in the first half," Coach Carmichael said. "Allowing Toccoa to get back into the game was probably the best thing that could have happened to us because we had to get things back on track at the half. We had a spirited chat and the girls did a phenomenal job of responding to the situation. Toccoa never gave up and gave us a very competitive match."
With the win, the Bruins have a winning record for the first time this season as the team has now won three of their last four games. Next up, the Bruins will be back at home for two games next week. The Bruins will welcome Brevard College on Tuesday night to Alumni Stadium with the kickoff set for 8 p.m.
