The women's soccer team made a big statement Tuesday afternoon as they defeated Greensboro College 5-1 from Alumni Stadium. Today's win marks their sixth victory of the season as the team remains undefeated with a 6-0-5 record.
"I couldn't be more proud of the team for stepping up in several key areas of our game plan that we have been working hard on," said Head Coach Chris Carmichael. "Greensboro is a quality program and this was a big win for our program with a lot of players contributing. They did a great job keeping the pressure on us and no doubt was close to shifting the momentum their way but the resiliency of this team to battle through moments of the game that appear to be slipping and to turn things around is a huge credit to an amazing team. The fans were awesome and we thank them for their support. To God be the glory!"
The Bruins came into today's game rested after a tough three game road series in Kentucky last week where they went 1-0-2.
As today's game got underway, the Bruins looked to gain control of the game early as they began sending shots towards the Greensboro net. They were rewarded in the 17th minute as Francesca Peters scored her first of the season after Mia Marks' initial shot was deflected by the Greensboro goalkeeper.
Eight minutes later, Sylvia Cummings chased the ball to the near corner of the field and then dribbled into the box where she slid it across the goal to Gabriela Gonzalez who shot the ball into the back of the net to double the lead for the Bruins.
In the 33rd minute, a shot from distance from Gabriela Gonzalez had Sofia Pagnamenta knock the ball into the box where Ashlyn Schmidt capitalized on her chance to score to bring the Bruins up 3-0 going in to halftime.
"The first half our possession finally became established and our speed of play was extremely good and both of these setup three of our goals," said Carmichael. "They were extremely composed under pressure and were able to break pressure and maintain composure and patience as we attacked each third of the pitch."
After the break, as Abby Arrowood battled to get the ball out of the Bruins zone, she fouled a Pride player resulting in a penalty kick. Amery Skinner converted on the kick to cut down their deficit.
But the Bruins didn't back down. In the 66th minute, Francesca Peters took the ball around a defender into the box where she perfectly passed the ball to Gonzalez who tallied her second goal of the game.
The icing on the cake came with just under three minutes remaining as Reagan Tierney blasted the ball from way outside the box to seal the 5-1 victory for the home team.
After the game, Coach Carmichael spoke highly of his team saying, "Reagan Tierney was solid in possession and defending and played a big role in the outcome of our match today. She also hit an amazing golazo for her first collegiate goal from about 30 yards out with a one touch shot that had tremendous pace and found the upper 90. Our defense was solid and another total team effort. We had a lot of speed and dangerous runs by Sylvia Cummings and Francesca Peters who really opened up the field for us. Mia Marks and Gaby Gonzalez provided constant finishing and some more great goals. Celeste Baladi, Braden Adams and Jessica Townsend did a great job breaking lines of pressure with sharp passing and dribbling and creating constant overloads on the attacking side which created challenges for Greensboro especially in the midfield during transition. Margaret Cummings continued to keep us in the game with some amazing stops."
"Our possession was very high in the first half, and we were able to dominate the play and secure a good lead," said Reagan Tierney. "We overcame a slow start in the second half and were able to put a couple more in the back of the net. I'm so proud of the team's performance today."
Up next, the Bruins are back for a Saturday night match against Florida College for Homecoming.
