A strong second half performance led the BJU Bruins to their first win of the 2018 season with a 4-0 victory over Toccoa Falls College. With the win the Bruins' record improved to 1-3, with goalkeeper Isaac Landry recording his first clean sheet of the season.
After a tough 7-0 loss on Tuesday night, the Bruins were motivated to bounce back and secure their first win of the season. Costly mental errors plagued the Bruins in their last match so one of the team's goals heading into tonight was to fix their mistakes, playing with a better sense of urgency and having better communication.
It was a back and forth first half of play as both teams were able to create scoring opportunities. BJU launched seven shots while Toccoa Falls had six. The game remained scoreless however until the 30th minute as sophomore defender Micah Kline put the Bruins on the board, connecting with freshman forward Sebastian Sulik on a give and go pass, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the first half.
"Combination play was great tonight," Bruins Head Coach Jesse McCormick said. "We played as a team and didn't force anything 1 on 1."
That goal seemed to give the Bruins a boost of energy and confidence heading into the second half. In the 59th minute junior forward Jesse Rush was awarded a free kick outside the box. Rush launched a rocket off the post and into the back of the net to give the BJU Bruins a 2-0 lead.
The BJU freshmen were the story of the remainder of the game. Freshmen Jordan Crews scored his first goal of his college career off an assist from fellow freshman Brady Carmichael. Freshman forward Conley Burk scored the fourth and final goal of the night for the Bruins, also his first career goal for BJU.
"It was evident tonight that the freshmen are a big part of our team," Coach McCormick said. "Each and every freshman is an important part of our team."
The Bruins outshot the Eagles 17-10 in the match including a 9-5 on-goal margin. Isaac Landry had 5 saves on the night as the team improves to 1-3 on the season and 1-0 in region play. The Bruins will be back on the pitch tomorrow as they travel to Laurinburg, North Carolina for a matchup with St. Andrews University.
