The Bruins soccer team suffered a heartbreaking loss on Thursday night as the team fell to #4 seeded Randall University 3-2 in double overtime. This was the second pool play match for the Bruins in the NCCAA DII National Tournament. With the loss, the Bruins are eliminated from the tournament and finish the 2020 season at 9-3-1 on the year.
"The guys worked so hard tonight and I am proud of them," Bruins Head Coach Matt Hotchkin said. "There isn't a way to communicate your feelings after a loss to end a season, because it feels like everything was for naught. But we know that isn't true as we have grown so much this season as a team and as men. We just have to get back up."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a dominant performance on Wednesday night as the team shutout #6 Johnson University (TN) 5-0 in the match. The win gave them 3 points in their pool as they looked to advance to their first national championship game since 2016.
Randall University came into Thursday's match after winning their opening pool play game over Johnson University (TN) 2-0. With a win or a tie, the Bruins would advance as the two teams took the pitch at Austin-Tindall Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
From the opening kickoff, the Bruins and Saints went back and forth trading possession in the early stages. The Saints would strike first as Holy Gobode scored just ten minutes into the match to put Randall up 1-0.
The Bruins were back on their heels, but came right back determined to find the equalizer. It came in the 24th minute as Charlie Barkman sent a corner kick near the goal which went into the back of the net thanks to an own goal by the Saints. With that, the score was tied 1-1.
Both teams went back to work as each looked to take the lead. With just 16 minutes remaining in the half, the Bruins would be dealt a serious blow as Conley Burk was awarded a red card after getting tangled up with a Saints player. This forced the Bruins to have to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
As the first half was coming to a close, the Saints had two quality looks on frame but Bruins keeper Chris Monczewski came up with two key saves to keep Randall off the board as the two teams went into halftime tied 1-1.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to go on the attack despite being a man down. Mario Figueroa gave the Bruins their first lead of the game as the freshman scored off an assist from Micah Kline just five minutes into the second half to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
The Bruins had grabbed momentum and looked to extend their lead as they continued to possess well and create chances in the attacking third. Eli Solomon and Mario Figueroa each had chances on frame, but couldn't score.
With the second half drawing to a close, the Bruins tried to slow the Saints who were desperately looking to draw even. With just 20 minutes left in the second half, Randall found the equalizer as Fraser Wittman scored a goal to make it 2-2.
The Bruins and Saints continued to battle down the stretch with each team getting great chances to score. Both keepers made clutch saves for their teams as the final buzzer sounded to end regulation with a 2-2 tie and send the game into overtime.
The teams would play two ten-minute overtime periods with the next goal determining a winner. If no team scored, the match would end in a tie and send the Bruins to the national championship.
In the first overtime, the Bruins continued to battle despite playing down a man since the first half. The Saints had two shots in the first overtime period but both sailed past the net. The buzzer sounded, ending the first overtime with the score still tied 2-2.
One overtime period remained to decide who would advance to the national championship on Saturday. The Bruins and Saints went back and forth trading possession while also balancing their defensive positioning to prevent chances to score.
The Bruins nearly netted the game winner as a two-on-one opportunity for Mario Figueroa was saved by Saint' keeper Jared Spencer with just over seven minutes to play. The clock continued to tick away as the match was coming to a close.
With just under three minutes remaining, the Saints got a corner kick opportunity. On the ensuing corner kick, Renan Lara was the hero for the Saints as he scored in double-overtime to give the Saints a 3-2 win. As players rushed the field, the Bruins looked on in disbelief seeing their 2020 season come to a heartbreaking end.
"We talk a lot about controlling the controllables and these last couple of weeks we tried to do just that," Coach Hotchkin said. "I have been so impressed with their ability to roll with the changes and all of the demands that have been placed on them. I'm proud of this team."
The two teams were evenly matched throughout with the Bruins edging the Saints in shots 14-13. Both teams had six shots each on goal as Bruins keeper Chris Monczewski made three saves on the night.
It has been a memorable season for the Bruins as the team battled through adversity both on and off the field. The Bruins earned the #1 national ranking during the regular season after a dominant 2020 campaign, including not allowing a single goal by a region opponent the entire season.
Their success earned them the #1 seed for the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament where the Bruins shutout back to back opponents to earn the first South Region Championship in program history.
The team then earned their spot back at the NCCAA DII National Tournament where they were awarded the top seed for nationals. The team will graduate four key seniors from the program this season who have left a lasting mark on the team. Still, the Bruins also return a core group of talented players as the team will look to again contend for the national title in 2021.
