The Lady Bruins soccer team picked up their second-straight shutout victory as the team defeated Berea College 2-0 on Saturday night in Berea, Kentucky. With the win, the Bruins move above .500 for the first time this season at 5-4.
"It has taken a lot of hard work to get where we are, but no doubt this team is on a roll right now," Freshmen forward Kayle Stevenson said. Stevenson scored a goal in the win. "I'm very proud of all the girls pulling through for another great win. Now, we've got to keep this momentum going."
The Bruins came into the game after a dominating performance on Friday night with a 3-0 win over Piedmont International University. Less than 24 hours later, the Bruins were set to get back on the pitch against the Mountaineers.
From the opening kickoff, the Bruins possessed the ball well as the team was able to make several runs early in the game. Kayle Stevenson, Mikayla Rajcan, and Emma Snow were each able to get a shot off early, but they didn't find the back of the net.
The pressure the Bruins were giving in the attacking third didn't allow for counter attacks as the Mountaineers didn't register a shot on frame until the midway point of the first half. Still, despite several chances for both teams, the score remained 0-0 as the first half began to come to a close.
With less than ten minutes remaining in the half, the Bruins finally broke through as Kayle Stevenson notched her team-leading fourth goal of the season to put the Bruins up 1-0. The goal gave the Bruins a renewed sense of urgency as they came right back on the attack. In the 41st minute, the Bruins scored again as Caitlyn Benson's shot bounced off the cross bar right to the feet of Hannah Guerrant who finished the play to make it 2-0 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins kept up the pressure as they again worked the ball into the attacking third for opportunities on goal. The team outshot the Mountaineers 21-8 in the match including a 13-4 on goal margin.
The Mountaineers tried desperately to go on the attack but the Bruins defenders did an excellent job of turning each threat aside to keep Berea off the board. As the final buzzer sounded, the Bruins walked off the pitch with another well-earned victory.
"We were able to dominate possession which allowed us to spend most of the game in our attacking half" Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "This was an extremely important game for us as the win gets us above .500 and we are right where we need to be. We definitely have to clean up some of our touches and passes and make better decisions and have more composure and patience when needed but the team collectively worked very hard to notch this win."
Bruins keeper Angelina Martin made four saves to capture her second-straight clean sheet and third of the 2019 season. Hannah Guerrant scored her first career goal with the team as the Bruins improve to 5-4 on the season.
Next up, the team will be on the road on Monday night for a matchup against William Peace University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
