The Lady Bruins soccer team suffered a tough loss on Tuesday night as the team fell to Salem College 2-1 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With the loss, the team falls to 0-2-1 to begin the season.
"We needed to do a much better job of being patient and need much faster handling and ball speed," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We did a great job getting back into a game that could have easily have gotten away from us."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a 2-1 loss on Saturday against Southern Wesleyan University. The team hoped to pick up their first win of the young season as they took the pitch.
In the opening minutes, the Spirits came out strong as they were able to move the ball towards the Bruins net. Sarah Lloyd came up with several saves in the opening minutes as the Bruins defense began to dig in their heels. The Spirits would strike first in the 11th minute as Hope Morrison buried a shot in the back of the net to make it 1-0.
Offensively, the Bruins struggled to get any sustained attack. The team had a few chances throughout the half but the Spirits continued to turn aside opportunities. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bruins trailed 1-0.
Less than a minute into the second half, the Spirits increased their lead as Ellie Montes found the back of the net to make the score 2-0. The Bruins were determined to get back in the game and it showed as striker Abby Davis and Megan Brubaker each had a shot on frame. Still, the Bruins couldn't seem to find the back of the net as they continued to look to get on the scoreboard.
With the minutes counting down, the Bruins got their chance as Abby Davis was fouled in the box after getting behind the Spirits defense. Bailey Martin handled the PK duties and buried a confident strike as the Bruins trailed 2-1. The team almost found the equalizer in the waning minutes as a loose ball in front of the net was missed. Unfortunately, that was the last chance the team would have to tie it up as they fell to Salem College 2-1.
"We are actually further along at this time of the season compared to the last few years and historically we seem to get off to a slow start," Coach Carmichael said. "We have kept ourselves in games against strong opponents even when we are not playing extremely well and once we get both halves out together we will finish this season very strong. We have an exceptional group of players that work incredibly hard and their work ethic will continue to make us stronger."
Bailey Martin scored her second goal of the season for the team while keeper Sarah Lloyd made 11 saves on the night. The Spirits outshot the Bruins 31-8 including a 13-5 margin on frame. With the loss, the Lady Bruins fall to 0-2-1. Next up, the team will be on the road again on Friday night as they travel to Charleston, South Carolina for a matchup with the Citadel.
