The Lady Bruins won a double-overtime thriller on Friday night as freshman Hannah Johnston scored to help BJU defeat Brevard College 1-0 in Brevard, North Carolina. With the win, the Bruins improve to 9-6 on the season, having won .
"This was probably our best game of the season," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We were able to possess very well and had lots of great interchanging and off-ball movement. Brevard played a solid match and hats off to them for giving such a strong performance."
Weather would play a factor over the course of the evening as both teams had to play through the rain. The Bruins came into the game looking to get back into the winning column as the team fell to Covenant College 1-0 in their last match on October 12.
The team had enjoyed some rest between games with nearly two weeks passing by since the last match. The Tornados celebrated Senior Night and despite the elements, the hometown crowd was out in full voice as the two teams took the field to begin the match.
From the opening kickoff, both the Bruins and Tornados looked to establish pace of play and maintain possession. Each team was able to get a pair of shots on frame in the early stages, but both keepers were up to the task to make the save. As the first half wore on, both teams continued to find scoring lanes but the score remained tied 0-0 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong with sustained possession as they used good passing to create scoring chances. Tornado keeper Hannah Weatherall had several key saves for Brevard to keep the Bruins off the board.
Still, the Bruins continued to pressure the net as they out shot the Tornados 17-2 in the second half. Jenna Bishop helped to control the midfield for the Bruins while Mikayla Rajcan and Kayle Stevenson were able to pressure the net relentlessly throughout the half. Despite their relentless pressure, the Bruins couldn't find the back of the net as both teams prepared for overtime with the score still tied 0-0.
As both teams came out in the first overtime period, they each balanced pushing forward while making sure the defensive line stood strong. Emma Snow was able to get a shot on frame for the Bruins, but Weatherall again made the save for the Tornados as the two teams prepared for a second overtime with the score 0-0.
In the second overtime period, both teams came out strong looking to grab the victory. The Bruins again worked the ball forward into the attacking third and were able to gain a corner kick. Mikayla Rajcan lofted a beautiful cross into the box which was headed into the goal by Hannah Johnston as the Bruins rushed the field in celebration, winning the match 1-0.
"We played a hard-fought game after two weeks of intense training," Johnston said after scoring the game-winning goal, the first in her career with the Bruins. "I'm very proud of our team for battling through 110 minutes of stormy weather and pulling through with the win."
The Bruins out shot the Tornados 25-14 in the match including a 14-6 on goal margin. Mikayla Rajcan had a strong performance for the Bruins offensively as the senior notched her third assist on the season. Keeper Angelina Martin made six saves for the Bruins on the night to complete her seventh clean sheet of the season.
Next up, the Bruins will be back in action on Saturday as they face Johnson University (TN) in Knoxville, Tennessee. The kickoff for the match is set for 3 p.m.
