Jenna Bishop bent in a beautiful walk-off winner in overtime as the Lady Bruins soccer team picked up their first win of the season defeating Southern Wesleyan University 3-2. With the win the team improves to 1-3 on the season.
"We knew we were at a crossroads for our season tonight," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "This was a game that we really needed to win and I'm so proud of our team. Everyone worked so hard and did what they needed to do individually and they stepped up big for us today."
The Bruins came into the match riding a tough three-game losing streak to open the season. The Bruins had been looking for answers offensively as the team had been outscored 9-3 in the first three games. Coach Carmichael's crew knew they would be in for another tough matchup on Saturday night as they took the pitch against the Warriors who were playing in their 2019 season opener.
From the opening kickoff, the Bruins came out with great energy as they controlled possession and worked the ball into the attacking third. It didn't take the Bruins long to find the back of the net as freshman Brinkley Adams scored to give the Bruins a 1-0 advantage just five minutes into the match.
The goal gave the Bruins a boost in momentum and it showed as they continued to stretch the field with possession and control the tempo of the game. In the 19th minute of play, momentum swung back to the Warriors as Ashley Romanowski evened the match with a goal to make it 1-1.
Back and forth the two teams went trading scoring opportunities and possession. Mikayla Rajcan was able to gain two open shots but both sailed wide as the score remained tied 1-1 heading into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins again came out with energy as they continued to execute good combination play to open up the Warriors defense. Stevenson was again the hero for BJU as she notched her second goal of the match in the 61st minute to put the Bruins up 2-1.
From there, the Bruins kept up the pressure hoping to extend their lead. A defensive lapse in the 73rd minute allowed the Warriors back into the game as Natalie Thompson intercepted a Bruins pass and threaded the ball ahead to Romanowski who scored her second goal of the match to again tie the game at 2-2.
With the match drawing to a close, both teams knew the next goal would likely be the game winner. Each team had scoring opportunities in the closing minutes but the buzzer sounded sending the match to extra time.
In the first extra time period, the Warriors came out strong as they hoped to send the hometown fans home with a win. With less than five minutes remaining in the period, Calista Turner found space and bent a beautiful shot towards the Bruins net. Angelina Martin made an incredible diving save to the top right corner of the net as she tapped the ball away to save the match for the Bruins and keep the score 2-2.
With just one extra period left, the Bruins went on the attack as Kayle Stevenson and Caroline Hartzler each garnered a shot that was saved by Warriors' keeper Jen Golio. In the 107th minute of the game, Jenna Bishop dribbled through the Warriors defense and found some open space. The freshmen fired a looping shot to the opposite post just past the arms of the keeper as it landed in the back of the net. The Bruins players rushed the field in celebration as Bishop's goal landed the Bruins their first win of the season.
"We stepped it way up tonight," Coach Carmichael said. "Our possession rate was high and we used the whole field and kept command of the ball. These players kept fighting the whole match and I am proud of them for continuing to battle even when they kept coming back. It was a great game and great competition."
Bruins keeper Angelina Martin made 10 saves on the night while Kayle Stevenson and Jenna Bishop each scored their first career goals with the team. Next up, the Bruins will be back on the road on Tuesday night as they face Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia.
