The Bruins soccer team is headed back to the region championship after a dominant performance on Thursday night in Pensacola, Florida. The Bruins scored three goals in the first half and never looked back as they shutout #4 Toccoa Falls College 7-0 in the semifinal match of the NCCAA DII South Region Tournament.
"We came into the game with a lot of energy and our guys have traveled well so far," Bruins Head Coach Matt Hotchkin said. "I thought our quality was high and we were finding a lot of ways to create shooting opportunities."
The Bruins came into the game after earning the #1 seed for the regional tournament, finishing the regular season at 6-2-1 overall. Earlier this season, the Bruins had defeated Toccoa Falls College 9-0, thanks to a hat trick by Gasheed Lareche.
The match would get a later start due to the other semifinal match going into double-overtime before #3 Trinity Baptist College upset #2 Pensacola Christian College in PK's. The Bruins and Screaming Eagles took the pitch with one looking to join Trinity Baptist in the championship game.
In the opening minutes, the Bruins came out strong with good possession as they quickly moved the ball into the attacking third. It didn't take the team long to get on the board as a good combination freed up Eli Solomon who buried a shot in the back of the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
The team went right back to work as they dispossessed the Screaming Eagles and used those opportunities to create quick counter attacks. As a result, the Bruins extended their lead as Victor Oladipo slid a shot past TFC keeper Alex Diaz to make it 2-0.
As the first half wore on, the Bruins remained in control as they possessed the ball well and used that controlled possession to generate attacks. After a foul by the Screaming Eagles, the Bruins got a free kick just outside the box. Freshman Mario Figueroa turned in the goal of the night with a beautiful bending kick that sailed into the upper ninety of the net to increase the lead 3-0.
The Screaming Eagles couldn't seem to get anything going offensively as the Bruins stood strong defensively with the halftime buzzer signaling the end of the first half with the Bruins leading by three goals.
Despite having the lead, the Bruins again came out strong with good pace of play and high intensity in the opening minutes of the second half. Coach Hotchkin continued to cycle in fresh legs off the bench and those players made the most of it as John Fahmy scored a goal just two minutes into the second half to make it 4-0.
With the game beginning to wind down, the Bruins continued to pressure the net as Hodari Twishime scored to make it 5-0. From there, goals by Andrew Arrowood and Nathan King put an exclamation point on a dominant performance for the Bruins as they went on to shutout the Screaming Eagles 7-0.
"We are excited for the opportunity to compete for a region championship, which is something we've never won in our program history," Coach Hotchkin said. "We will give our best to make that happen on Saturday."
Eli Solomon and Victor Oladipo each netted their team-leading seventh goals of the year while Mario Figueroa finished the night with one goal and one assist. The Bruins out shot the Screaming Eagles 40-4 in the match as the team controlled both sides of the ball in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will play for the NCCAA DII South Region Championship on Saturday afternoon as they face #3 seeded Trinity Baptist College. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 2 p.m.
