The Bruins men's soccer team won their third match in a row as the team set a new program record on Thursday afternoon putting up eighteen goals in an 18-0 shutout of Johnson University (FL). The Bruins dominated play from start to finish as the team improves to 4-1-1 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in region play.
"This trip was a good bonding experience for our team," Bruins Head Coach Matt Hotchkin said. "Our guys worked together well and we are looking forward to returning home for a challenging match against Brewton-Parker this weekend."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a thrilling double-overtime victory over Pensacola Christian College on Saturday. The team has played well on both sides of the ball coming into Thursday's match after back to back region shutouts. For the Suns, Thursday's game would be the season opener as the two teams took the pitch.
It didn't take the Bruins long to net their first goal as the team came out strong from the start. Freshman James McCarty started the scoring for the team with a goal to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead just minutes into the match. From there, Victor Oladipo notched a pair of goals as the Bruins extended their lead 3-0.
The Bruins continued to control possession as they executed good combinations to free up open looks on goal. Mario Figueroa scored back to back goals and assisted on a third as the Bruins pushed their lead to 6-0 near the midway point of the half. From there, goals from James McCarty, Uriel Gomez, and Peter Waddy gave the Bruins a commanding 9-0 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out strong again with good energy and pace of play. As a result, they continued to barrage the net with shots as Eli Solomon pushed the lead to double-digits 10-0. Conley Burk scored on a nice shot to set a new program best as the Bruins led 11-0.
Throughout the remainder of the half, the Bruins remained in control as goals from Rasheed Lareche and a hat trick from Micah Hennegan extended the lead. Eli Solomon, Hodari Twishme, and Andrew Arrowood put the final exclamation point on the shutout as the dust settled with the Bruins winning 18-0.
Mario Figueroa and Eli Solomon each recorded two goals and two assists on the night while Micah Hennegan recorded his first hat trick for the team to go along with two assists.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home on Saturday night for their final home game of the regular season as they welcome Brewton-Parker college to Alumni Stadium. The team will also honor their four seniors on the roster this season with kickoff for the match set for 8 p.m.
