In a rollercoaster game with the rain pouring down at Alumni Stadium, freshman Eli Solomon scored in overtime as the Bruins defeated Brewton-Parker College 4-3 on Saturday night. The Bruins won their fourth match in a row as the team moves to 5-1-1 on the season.
"I am proud of these guys," Bruins Head Coach Matt Hotchkin said after the game. "We could have just easily fallen apart after they came back on us and our guys had the belief they could win. I'm proud of them."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of back to back wins over Pensacola Christian College and Johnson University (FL). The Barons came into Saturday's game with back to back wins over Trinity Baptist College.
Before the match began, the Bruins took time to honor the four seniors on this year's team as Micah Kline, Chris Monczewski, Victor Oladipo, and Caleb Myers all were honored before their last home game at Alumni Stadium. Rain would be in the forecast all night long as both teams took the pitch to begin the game.
The Bruins came out strong in the opening minutes as they moved the ball into the attacking third, despite the wet playing surface. It didn't take the Bruins long to break into the scoring column as Victor Oladipo headed home a beautiful goal to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Just three minutes later, Charlie Barkman added to the Bruins tally as he netted a goal off an assist from Gasheed Lareche to put the Bruins up 2-0. The Barons were back on their heels as they tried to slow the Bruins momentum. Eli Solomon further extended the Bruins lead in the 32nd minute as he scored to put the team up 3-0.
The Bruins were firing on all cylinders as the team closed out the first half. The halftime buzzer sent both teams back to the locker room with the Bruins leading 3-0 at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to add to their three-goal lead. The Barons had other plans as they scored back to back goals less than ten minutes into the half to cut the lead to 3-2.
Momentum had swung to the Barons and it showed as the Bruins tried to thwart offensive scoring chances. The rain began to pickup in the second half, presenting challenges in possession for both teams.
In the 74th minute, the Barons would equalize as James McCarty was called for a hand ball in the box. On the ensuing penalty kick, Isaiah Lamont put a shot just past Chris Monczewski as the match was tied 3-3.
Both teams went back to work as each looked to score the go-ahead goal. With just minutes remaining, the Bruins had two golden opportunities but Barons keeper Jamir Stewart made two incredible saves to send the match into overtime tied 3-3.
With the game on the line and the heavy rain continuing to fall, both teams came back on the pitch looking for the win. The Bruins were able to secure possession in the early minutes of extra time as they worked the ball ahead.
The Bruins found the answer on the foot of Eli Solomon as the freshman scored the golden goal in the 97th minute of play to win the match 4-3. The Bruins stormed the field in celebration as they won another overtime victory.
"We need to finish games when we have a lead," Coach Hotchkin said. "We still have a tendancy to get unorganized and there are still things we are figuring out about ourselves. We are starting to figure out how dangerous we could be offensively and we're seeing that we are a good team. I don't think we know yet how good we can be so we have to be confident and keep working together and see what this team can accomplish."
The Bruins out shot the Barons 27-20 in the match and Chris Monczewski made six saves for the team. Eli Solomon led the Bruins with a pair of goals, including the game-winner, while Charlie Barkman added a goal and an assist.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on October 24 for a region matchup with Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida.
