The Lady Bruins took an early road lead on Saturday night as Mia Marks scored just four minutes into the match. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as Belmont Abbey responded with three unanswered goals to beat the Bruins 3-1 in Belmont, North Carolina.
"We got a great effort out of the team tonight and despite dealing with quite a few injuries they battled hard and were able to control many parts of the game," Bruins Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We are getting stronger with each passing game and the players are doing a great job at picking up the nuances of the system we are using. This is not an abnormal start for us and I am highly confident that we are going to string the wins needed to end up with another winning season."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a tough loss on Thursday night as they fell to Middle Georgia State University 1-0. The team knew they would be in for another tough test as they faced Belmont Abbey College who finished the 2019 season at 12-5-3 while advancing to the NCAA DII conference championship.
From the opening kickoff, both teams came out looking to establish pace and possession. The Bruins struck first as freshman Mia Marks found space and buried a shot into the back of the net just four minutes into the match to give BJU a 1-0 lead. Marks continued to pressure the net, but the Bruins couldn't extend their lead as the half wore on.
The Crusaders went back on the attack as they began to execute good combinations to open up scoring lanes which led to shots on frame. Bruins' keeper Angelina Martin continued to make saves for the team as the Crusaders tallied 17 shots in the first half alone.
In the 41st minute, the Crusaders would find the equalizer as Corrine Shovlain scored to tie the game at 1-1. While both teams had chances in the closing minutes, the half ended with the score tied 1-1.
As the second half began, the Bruins and Crusaders looked to find the go-ahead goal. Allison Lovullo and Gabriela Gonzalez each had chances for the Bruins, but the team couldn't find the back of the net. The Crusaders continued to take shots on frame as the Bruins defense had to work hard to thwart opportunities.
In the 76th minute, the Crusaders took the lead as Amanda Cook scoed off an assist by Logan Parry to push Belmont Abbey ahead 2-1. With little time remaining, the Bruins changed their formation with the hopes to create more opportunities offensively. This nearly allowed the Bruins to equalize as Kayle Stevenson had an opportunity to score with just minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the extra push allowed the Crusaders to counter as they notched a goal late to put the game out of reach and win 3-1.
"We have had an incredibly tough schedule so far and Belmont Abbey is a top NCAA DII opponent that has been very successful," Coach Carmichael said. "They are deep and the free substitutions that Belmont Abbey used didn't play well for us unfortunately. We need some significant recovery as we have quite a few injuries and will need all of our healthy players to step up. This has been a crazy season so far but we did get a great effort and there are many parts of our game that are starting to click."
Mia Marks scored her second goal of the season while Angelina Martin made 13 saves on the night. Next up, the Bruins will return home for the first of two straight games at Alumni Stadium as they welcome Carolina University on Friday night.
