After falling behind late in the first half, Bailey Martin scored a penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1 in the second half. Unfortunately, the Lady Bruins couldn't come away with the win on Thursday night as they fell to Southern Wesleyan University 2-1 in overtime.
The BJU Lady Bruins came into tonight's match seeking their first win after opening their season on Saturday night with a 2-2 draw against Brenau University. An afternoon thunderstorm resulted in a soggy field and humidity, making that goal even more difficult.
That was evident in the first half as both teams struggled to create scoring opportunities and accurate passes. "We didn't play well in the first half but that's expected early in the season," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael. "There's plenty of time left for us to improve as the season goes along."
With under a minute left in the first half, a defensive miscue by Lady Bruins' goalkeeper Sarah Lloyd resulted in the first goal of the game for Southern Wesleyan. Lloyd was trying to connect with Bruins' defender Jennifer Townsend but the pass was intercepted by Makala Latsch and chipped over Lloyd's head for the goal.
The Lady Bruins were able to shake off a sloppy first half, stepping up their play in an effort to tie the game. Seven minutes into the second half, Lady Bruins' midfielder Kristyn Rygh created a breakaway scoring opportunity and was knocked down in the box, forcing a penalty kick. Junior midfielder Bailey Martin was able to convert the PK to tie the game for the Lady Bruins.
"I was proud of our sense of urgency in the second half and our ability to create scoring opportunities," Coach Carmichael said. "We were able to increase our speed of play while making accurate passes."
Neither team was able to score the remainder of the half forcing extra time for the second consecutive game. Eight minutes into extra time, the Southern Wesleyan Warriors were awarded a free kick at half field. Rachel Curtis scored off an assist from Ashley Romanowski to win the game for the Warriors 2-1.
With the loss, the Bruins fall to 0-1-1 on the season. Next up, the team will be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for a matchup against Salem College.
