The Lady Bruins were on the road on Thursday afternoon as a lone goal in the second half proved to be the difference as Middle Georgia State defeated BJU 1-0 in Cochran, Georgia. Bruins' keeper Angelina Martin made eight saves in the match as the team falls to 1-2 on the season.
"We had a great effort today against a very strong MGSU team," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "Certainly there's things we could do better but we also had a consistent rain and wet turf which made it difficult to get into a good rhythm of play based on our style but both teams had to deal with it. I thought our team work effort was second to none and I couldn't be more proud of their work rate on both sides of the ball."
The Bruins entered the match after nearly two weeks without a game. The team has battled injury and adversity in the early stages of the season, but the team came into the game after a 3-0 victory over Toccoa Falls in their home opener.
From the opening kickoff, the two teams went back and forth exchanging shots in the early minutes. Brinkley Adams and Allison Lovullo each found lanes towards the Knights net but shots continued to be turned aside. Despite several chances for both teams, the first half ended as it began with the score tied 0-0.
In the second half, both teams came out looking to find the game's first goal. Near the midway point of the half, the Knights would find the back of the net as Tatjana Steinau scored off an assist from Hannah Theriault to make it 1-0.
The Bruins came right back as they tried to piece together good combinations to create scoring chances. The Knights continued to stand strong as they played physical to try to take away possession. As a result, three different cautions were handed out to the Knights with one being given to the Bruins.
With the match coming to a close, the Bruins pushed ahead to try to equalize. Brinkley Adams and Gabriella Gonzalez each had a great opportunity at the end of the match, but the Knights keeper made key saves to preserve the 1-0 win.
"We created a number of dangerous situations and goal scoring opportunities and their GK stepped up big at the end to deny a great shot that should have equalized the score," Coach Carmichael said. "Angelina Martin displayed strong leadership all game and kept us in the game with some brilliant stops and no doubt gave us a fighting chance to get back into the game."
The Knights out shot the Bruins 20-9 in the match including a 9-3 on-goal margin. The Bruins will be on the road again on Saturday as the team travels to Belmont, North Carolina, for a matchup with Belmont Abbey College.
