The Bruins picked up a tough road win on Friday night as senior Jesse Rush netted a goal with just minutes to play to help the team defeat Johnson and Wales University 1-0. The victory is the fourth in the last five games for the Bruins as the team improves to 5-9 on the season.
"This was a strong showing from our guys tonight," Bruins Head Coach Matt Hotchkin said. "We moved the ball quickly tonight and it was one of our best possession games of the year. Andrew Zhang stepped up big time on defense for us playing center back. He was composed all night and this gave our back line some solid composure."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a tough loss on Tuesday. The team knew they would be in for another tough road test as they took the pitch against the Wildcats who came into the match at 8-3-1. The Bruins would also be without Jordan Crews and Caleb Adams in the lineup, but the team came out looking to get back into the winning column.
From the opening kickoff, the two teams traded possession with each trying to establish their pace of play. The Wildcats were able to create chances early on, but both of their shot attempts sailed wide. The Bruins answered back with opportunities of their own as Gasheed Lareche fired a shot wide of the goal followed by several corner kick chances for the team.
With the first half coming to a close, the Bruins began to find their rhythm in the attacking third as several good sequences of passing opened up scoring chances. Victor Oladipo and Sebastian Sulik had chances on frame, but Wildcat keeper Vincent Diep made key saves to keep the Bruins off the board. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the two teams ended the half as they began it 0-0.
In the second half, the Bruins and Wildcats continued to go back and forth with both trying to find the game's first goal. Both defenses continued to play well as shots were hard to come by while both keepers made great saves to keep the game scoreless.
As the match began to draw to a close, the fans began to think this one might head to extra time. The Bruins had other plans as Caleb Myers connected with Jesse Rush who scored for the Bruins with just over five minutes remaining.
The Wildcats were back on their heels as they came out looking to find the equalizer. Rush's goal proved to be the difference-maker as the Bruins held on for the 1-0 win on the road.
"Jesse's goal was clutch for us late in the game, but this was a team effort tonight," Coach Hotchkin said. "The guys are really gelling and we are seeing that they have high expectations from each other. It's fun to watch the effort."
The two teams were evenly matched throughout with the Bruins edging the Wildcats in shot count 12-11 including a 4-2 on goal margin. Both teams battled in a tough and physical game with 32 fouls combined called in the match. Bruins' keeper Isaac Landry was credited with two saves on the night to complete his second clean sheet of the season.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home on Tuesday night as they welcome St. Andrews University to Alumni Stadium. The kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
