Four unanswered goals propelled the North Greenville University Crusaders to a 4-1 victory over the Bob Jones University Bruins on Monday night at Alumni Stadium. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 2-5-1 on the season. 

There was no love lost between the two teams tonight as the game began at an alarmingly fast pace with multiple fouls conceded within the first ten minutes. For the first twenty minutes of the game, the Bruins were able to match the intensity of the Crusaders, relying on strong defensive play with an opportunistic offensive approach.

"I thought we came out great," Bruins Head Coach Jesse McCormick. "We had some good possessions and some good ball movement."

In the twenty-fourth minute, Andrew Peterson tallied the Bruins lone goal of the evening on a rebound shot to put the Bruins up 1-0. Senior Karl Walker rocketed a shot just outside of the box which was deflected by Crusaders keeper Noah Hendrick. The shot then tipped off the post before falling right to the feet of Peterson who finished the play. 

The Bruins continued to hang tough defensively, but were unable to keep the Crusaders off the board before halftime. With just over five minutes left in the half, NGU was awarded a penalty kick in the box off a foul from center back Micah Kline. Gareth Greene converted the PK opportunity to tie the match at 1-1.

The Crusaders weren't done as they scored a goal with less than a minute to play in the half. Marlon Evans netted a beautiful header off a corner kick in the top right of the corner of the goal. The goal gave North Greenville a 2-1 lead along with a huge momentum boost heading into the half. 

NGU continued to push the pace offensively in the second half, controlling most of the possession from the opening whistle. A miscommunication by the Bruins back line allowed Kelesto Mathathe to break through and score putting the Crusaders up 3-1.

In the seventy-first minute, Will Moy put the game out of reach as he netted a shot off a pass from teammate Ben MacKay to put the Crusaders ahead 4-1. Despite several chances in the remaining minutes, the final buzzer handed the Bruins a 4-1 loss. 

"I think we did a lot of things well tonight," Coach McCormick said. "We have a lot of guys stepping up to the plate and creating chances. NGU is a team that forces you to be strong mentally and if we can come out with the same intensity we had tonight we'll be in good shape on Saturday. 

The Bruins were outshot shot 18-8 by the Crusaders, including a 13-4 on goal advantage. Isaac Landry totaled 9 saves for the Bruins. The Bruins return to action on Saturday night to take on rival Pensacola Christian College at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
 

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