The Bruins soccer team dropped their fourth match in the last five games as the team allowed two second-half goals from Truett-McConnell University to fall 3-0 on Tuesday night at Alumni Stadium. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 3-8-1 on the season.
"Our early movement off the ball was inconsistent tonight," Bruins Head Coach Jesse McCormick said. "It was tough for us to get into a rhythm in the attacking third and we struggled making that final pass to create a scoring opportunity."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a big win on Saturday as the Bruins upset the #1 ranked Trinity Baptist College Eagles 1-0 in overtime. On Tuesday, they knew they would be in for a tough test against the Bears who came in at 5-5 on the season after dropping their last two matches in overtime by a single-goal margin.
In the opening minutes, the two teams traded possession with no real chances on frame. Rain began to fall, making it difficult for players to complete passing as the ball went back and forth. The Bruins were able to contain the Bears early on as the team intercepted passes and turned them into counter opportunities offensively.
Despite keeping possession close to even, the Bruins couldn't seem to execute offensively as attack opportunities were thwarted by the Bears. As the half was coming to a close, the Bears would score the first goal of the game as Giovanni Giraudo rocketed a shot from the top of the box into the lower corner of the net to make it 1-0. The Bruins tried to respond but momentum had swung to the Bears as the half came to a close.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to find the equalizer. Instead, Bears' striker Joao Costa was able to extend the lead just ten minutes into the second half as he bent a beautiful shot which hit the bar and deflected into the net. Costa added his second goal of the match just five minutes later to push the Bears lead to 3-0.
With the Bruins back on their heels, the team looked to push forward to cut into the Bears lead. The team had just three shots during the entire match as they couldn't get a consistent offensive attack going as the match ended with the final score 3-0.
"They were a very quick and dynamic team and that caused us problems defensively," Coach McCormick said. "We know we have to come out for 90 minutes and we have to move without the ball and execute the simple things."
The Bears outshot the Bruins by a wide margin 40-3, including a 17-2 in shots on goal. Next up, the Bruins will be back in action on Saturday night as they welcome Kentucky Christian University. This will be the homecoming match for the Bruins and also senior night as the team will honor the two seniors on the squad this season.
