Sophia Griffin scored with under a minute to play in regulation as Pfeiffer University edged the BJU Bruins 1-0 on Saturday afternoon in Misenheimer, North Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins wrap up the regular season at 10-8 overall as the team looks ahead to the regional tournament next week.
"Soccer is a brutally cruel sport sometimes and we just got stung at the end," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We played a great game and kept it tight and created some good opportunities against a very strong Pfeiffer team."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough loss earlier in the week in which they fell to Piedmont College 1-0. They knew they would be in for another tough matchup on Saturday as they faced the Falcons who came into the game at 11-4 overall, having won seven of their last eight games.
From the opening kickoff, the Bruins came out strong as they worked the ball into the attacking third. Jenna Bishop and Kayle Stevenson both had scoring chances for the Bruins but their shots sailed wide.
The Falcons came right back with scoring chances of their own but Bruins keeper Angelina Martin came up with several saves to keep the Falcons off the board. Back and forth the two teams went but the first half ended as it began with a 0-0 score.
In the second half, the Falcons came out strong as they pressured the Bruins and created shots on frame. Angelina Martin came up with another big save before the Falcons hit the post and the crossbar on consecutive shots but the match remained scoreless.
The Bruins were able to create some opportunities of their own, but struggled to maintain consistent possession on the attack. With just minutes to play it looked as though both teams would be preparing for overtime.
The Falcons had other plans as Sophia Griffin was able to find the back of the net with just 53 seconds left to play to put Pfeiffer up 1-0. The Bruins couldn't find the answer in the final minute as the team fell 1-0.
"We have done what we needed to this season to prepare us for regionals," Coach Carmichael said. "Today was another great effort and we were able to continue to improve our possession and for good parts of the game we had control of the tempo."
Angelina Martin played a great game for the team recording seven saves. The Bruins were out shot 12-2 in the second half and 20-6 in the game. Next up, the Bruins will head into the NCCAA DII South Region Championship next Friday night as the team welcomes Toccoa Falls College. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina, as the Bruins look to win their fifth-straight region championship.
