The Bruins battled Truett-McConnell University on Saturday night in the home opener of the 2021 season. The two teams went back and forth throughout but the game ended as it began in a 0-0 draw. With the tie, the Bruins move to 1-0-1 on the season.
"We have some momentum and this is a step in the right direction," Bruins Head Coach Greg Fulton said. "It is not the result we wanted but we can see what we can improve on. We knew Truett was going to be a tough game as they looked consistent across the board as we watched their film."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a thrilling 2-1 win on Thursday night over Southern Wesleyan University. The team hoped to keep up their winning ways as they welcomed the Bears of TMU who came into the match at 1-0-1 on the season. Over 800 fans came out for home opener at Alumni Stadium as the match was set to begin.
In the first half, the Bruins and Bears went back and forth exchanging possession as each team tried to dictate pace of play. The Bruins were able to create some opportunities in the attacking third, but the Bears defense continued to clear the ball out. In one sequence, Eli Solomon drove into the box and setup Victor Oladipo in front of the net. Unfortunately, Oladipo couldn't get the strike he wanted as Riley Powers made the save for the Bears.
Chris Monczewski was a force for the Bruins between the pipes as the senior made 11 saves in the match. In the first half alone, Monczewski made six saves including several at point blank range to keep the Bears off the board. As the first half came to a close, the score remained 0-0.
In the second half, the coaches tried to bring in key subs throughout the second 45 minutes to see if someone could break the scoreless tie. Again, each keeper came up with several key saves to keep the clean sheet intact. Again, the two teams battled hard through the remaining minutes with neither able to find the back of the net as the end of regulation sounded with the score 0-0.
The two teams went back and forth in the two extra time periods with each balancing their attack with not wanting to give up a run in a counter attack. Mario Figueroa had two great chances for the Bruins in extra time but each of his shots sailed wide.
With seconds remaining in the game, the Bruins mounted one last attack and Victor Oladipo was able to make a run towards the net. Unfortunately, his chance was turned aside at the last second as the final buzzer sounded with the final score ending in a 0-0 draw.
"We just have to increase the quality of our scoring chances," Coach Fulton said. "We had them tonight but we just couldn't find the net."
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, on Wednesday.
