The Bruins fought for 90+ minutes but came up short as #7 Oakland City University scored the golden goal in overtime giving them the three points in tonight's pool play game at the NCCAA DI National Tournament down in Kissimmee, Florida. It becomes a must-win situation tomorrow evening for the Bruins to be able advance to the next round of the tournament as they have a tough matchup against Ottawa University Arizona.
"I couldn't be more proud of how our team stepped up and played tonight. But I am even more heartbroken for them as they gave every bit of energy and effort they had to get the win. They did everything right to give us great opportunities but we just missed our chances," said Head Coach Chris Carmichael. "Once we settled into the game I thought we controlled it and began creating a number of great goal scoring opportunities, but it's a cruel sport and although we had them on their heels we just couldn't net the winner."
The #7 Oakland City Mighty Oaks came into tonight's contest on the heels of a 6-1 loss against #3 Ottawa University Arizona on Monday night. Tonight was the first match of pool play for the Bruins as they entered the tournament as the #4 seed after receiving an at-large bid.
As the whistle blew and the game got underway, both teams would look to gain possession and a quality Oakland City side would put a lot of pressure on the Bruins early, but Coach Carmichael said that "the team did a great job breaking the pressure with solid possession and was able to break the lines consistently throughout the game and find side to play into the attacking third."
In the first 45 minutes of play, Anna Grace Abrams had all five shots for the Bruins with four of those being on target. With under 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Abrams would sent the ball up the field where Caroline Hartzler would dribble the ball towards the net. As she got to the outside of the box, she would pass it over to Abrams would would settle it and fire it from distance giving the Bruins the 1-0 lead.
After the halftime break and in the 67th minute, Alana Doherty of Oakland City University would dribble up the field and past some Bruins defenders to shoot, score and tie the game. With a several looks on goal and a strong defensive showing, the Bruins fought until the end of regulation to break the deadlock but the score remained at one goal a piece.
Both teams headed into overtime with 10 minutes on the clock looking for the game-winning goal. The Bruins got off to a promising start, but it was a header by the Mighty Oaks in the 96th minute that decided tonight's match.
"We have limited time to recover as we get ready to play an exceptionally strong Ottawa team," said Carmichael. "Every match at the DI level is really tough, but I am so proud of the effort the team gave. They gave everything they had and that was obvious after the game. I couldn't ask for a better performance and work rate."
The Bruins have a quick turnaround as the face off against #3 Ottawa University Arizona at 6 p.m. Wednesday night as they look to keep their championship hopes alive.
