Back on the field less than 24 hours after Friday's game, the Bruins were set to take on Meredith College in a Saturday afternoon contest from Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The two teams played hard for 90 minutes, but at the final whistle the score remained 0-0. With today's result, the Bruins are 1-0-1 on the year.
"The team played through some fatigue issues from yesterday's game. On top of the heat, we were just a step off and technically broke down more than usual which is usually a symptom of fatigue," said Head Coach Chris Carmichael. "But I am very proud of the team for battling through it and we were able to sustain a lot of pressure at the end and the team was able to create a number of goal scoring opportunities."
The Bruins entered today's game after a 2-0 victory the night before against North Carolina Wesleyan. This was the third straight year for the Bruins to face NCWC and Meredith College in their opening weekend. Last year, the Bruins overtook the Avenging Angels with a 4-0 victory.Â
As the game got underway from Scalf Field in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, neither team would see too many scoring opportunities until after the halftime break.
In the second half, the Bruins wasted no time and two early shots by Abby Arrowood followed by Gabriela Gonzalez would begin to set the tone. The Bruins continued looking for those scoring opportunities, and in the final 20 minutes of play would see several close looks, but weren't able to capitalize. Meredith College looked to cash in on some of the fatigue of the Bruins defense, but the Bruins back line held strong.
At the final whistle, the teams walked off the field tied at 0-0.Â
When speaking of his team's performance, Coach Carmichael said "our defense was solid once again. They continued to shut down the opposing team and were able to build our attacks very effectively. Our attacking half did a solid job and lots of potential and Rylee Marks Johnson commanded the midfield. Collectively we know that we are better than how we performed today and we will get some rest and turn our focus on Pfeiffer for Wednesday's match. We will dissect the video and learn and grow. It's a definite process, and I am very happy with where we are at this early in the season."
Centerback Celeste Baladi also commented saying, "defensively we worked hard, and it was our game to win but unfortunately we had missed opportunities. We are eager to win our next matches as we move on."
Up next, the Bruins will travel to Misenheimer, North Carolina for a Wednesday afternoon match against Pfeiffer University. Kickoff for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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