The Lady Bruins soccer team picked up their third win in the past four games as the team shutout Piedmont International University 3-0 on Friday night at Alumni Stadium. All three goals for the Bruins were scored by freshmen as the Bruins improve to 4-4 on the season.
"Our freshmen have helped raise the bar and made us a much better team," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "The returners have become better and have been able to be good mentors to them. We can certainly keep getting better but I think we're starting to peak and getting stronger and stronger with each game."
Earlier this week, the Bruins came away with a dramatic road win as they edged Brewton-Parker College 2-1 on Tuesday. Piedmont International entered Friday's match with a 3-2-1 record having dropped two of their last three games. The next chapter of the battle of the Bruins was set to be written as the two teams took the pitch.
In the opening minutes, BJU came out strong as Jenna Bishop and Bailey Martin helped feed passes which opened up attack lanes towards frame. It didn't take the team long to find the scoring column as Emma Snow threaded a pass to Kayle Stevenson and Stevenson buried the shot with a beautiful strike to put BJU up 1-0.
The Bruins were able to generate several more chances throughout the remainder of the half, but the team couldn't add to their lead as they went into halftime leading PIU 1-0.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out determined to increase their lead while PIU was desperate for the equalizer. The Bruins defensive line anchored by Jennifer Townsend helped turn aside opportunities while keeper Angelina Martin made three saves on the night.
In the 64th minute, Emma Snow would help the Bruins increase their lead as she scored off a rebound attempt to put BJU ahead 2-0. Piedmont came right back as they looked to finally break into the scoring column. Instead, Jessica Peterson put an exclamation point on the Bruins shutout win as she headed home a goal in the 76th to help BJU capture a 3-0 win over Piedmont International.
"Our team came out ready to play," Coach Carmichael said. "We knew we were going to have to step up against a good PIU team. Although we struggled a bit in the first half, I thought we came out strong in the second half to get the win."
The Bruins outshot PIU 19-6 in the match including a 13-3 on goal margin. Kayle Stevenson picked up her third goal of the 2019 season while Emma Snow picked up a goal and an assist in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Saturday as they face Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.
