The Lady Bruins are headed back to the national championship as the team defeated #4 Randall University 3-0 on Friday night in the semifinal round of the NCCAA DII National Tournament. This is the fourth straight season the Bruins will compete for the title.
"We wanted to get into a quick rhythm of play and get everyone involved and I thought we did a good job of that," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "It was a good game. We knew we had to be patient and wait for our opportunities to come and we were able to take advantage of that tonight."
The team jumped out to quick lead in the 11th minute of the match. The Bruins were awarded a corner kick and the ball was punched out by Saints keeper Madi Harris. Bailey Martin was there for the rebound and fired a shot in the upper corner of the goal to give the Bruins the 1-0 lead.
In the 25th minute, the Bruins struck again as senior Grace Hoffman broke free on the outside and delivered a perfect cross to the middle. Striker Abby Davis was able to settle the ball and tap it in for the Bruins second goal of the match, extending the lead to 2-0 heading into halftime.
The Bruins controlled the pace and tempo of the game throughout the first half and that carried over into the second half as well. The Lady Bruins outshot the Saints 21-0 in the first half alone.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to add to their lead. The continued to pressure the net and and limited any chances for the Saints offensively. In the 73rd minute, Sarah Epperson put an exclamation point on the win as she created space in the middle of the field and fired a shot from outside the '18 that landed in the back of the net. The Bruins went on to complete the shutout as they defeated the Saints 3-0.
The Bruins outshot the Saints 36-0 in the match while controlling pace and possession throughout. The team will look to win their fourth consecutive championship on Saturday as the Bruins will play #3 seeded Grace Christian University who upset #2 seeded Providence University College 5-2 in the semi-finals. Kickoff for the match is at 7:30 at Alumni Stadium.
"It is going to be a tough test for us," Coach Carmichael said. "They are a good team and we are going to have to be aware of their speed and make sure we are focused on both sides of the ball. But we're excited and looking forward to competing."
