The Bruins women's soccer team scored three first-half goals on their way to a 4-0 road win over Carolina University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Friday night. With the win, the team moves back to .500 on the season at 4-4.
"We couldn't have ask for a better team effort tonight," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We played our best game of the season. We got back to a higher possession game and the mobility off the ball was outstanding in the midfield and the interchange with our strikers and as such we created numerous goal scoring opportunities."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a 5-0 loss to Martin Methodist University last week. The team was scheduled for a road match earlier in the week but the game was postponed due to COVID precautions. The Bruins had matched up against Carolina University earlier in the season with the Brinkley Adams scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win at Alumni Stadium.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins came out well with good possession as they combinations opened up open chances on frame early on. Defensively, the Bruins back line stood strong as Caroline Hartzler and company thwarted opportunities for Carolina.
The Bruins broke into the scoring column first as Brinkley Adams found Abby Herr for a goal to put BJU up 1-0. Later on, the Bruins extended their lead thanks to a beautiful goal by Jenna Bishop off an assist from Gabriela Gonzalez to make it 2-0. The Bruins added one more goal before the first half came to a close as Lauren Murray scored off a rocket shot on a free kick to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to extend their lead while Carolina just was trying to get into the scoring column. Again, the Bruins defense played well as they won several one on one battles and used quick counter attacks to open up scoring lanes.
Mia Marks added her team-leading fourth goal of the season as the freshman buried a goal to put the Bruins up 4-0. Carolina tried to find an answer but the Bruins refused to back down as they finished out the clean sheet winning 4-0.
"Carolina University is always a tough match and takes our entire team to step up and play their best game which we did," Coach Carmichael said. "The defense held strong all night and we had a great effort and they continuously were able to not only stop the attacks but were also key to building most of our attacks. We have to recover quickly as we are on the road again tomorrow."
The Bruins turned in a dominant performance against Carolina University and will have some quick recovery as the team is again on the road on Saturday afternoon for a matchup with Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina.
