The Bruins play a great match to cap off their regular season winning 4-0 on the road against the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers.
"This was another total team win and every player contributed to notch a big win against a strong Spartanburg Methodist team," Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "The players were looking forward to redemption after losing to SMC 1-0 earlier in the season and they exploded with a 4-0 win."
The first half started with a bang for the Bruins. Celeste Baladi hit a shot from far out just inside the 2nd minute of the match to give the Bruins the early lead. Not much later in the 12th minute, Sarah Ward made a fantastic run down the line and placed a cross right at the feet of Mia Marks who put it to extend the lead. The Bruins were able to possess the ball well and limit any chances for the Pioneers. They had a few more chances throughout the rest of the half but the score remained 2-0.Â
The Bruins continued their momentum in the second half. In the 50th minute, Mia Marks made her way down the field splitting a couple defenders before putting away her second goal of the day making the score 3-0. The 76th minute ended up being a special moment for freshman Lily Davis. Celeste Baladi found her on a through ball and Lily was able to get past the goalkeeper and tap it in for her first collegiate goal! That goal made it a 4-0 score and that stuck until the final whistle.
"We appreciate SMC for taking this match as it was hugely helpful for us, and despite the score, was a fairly balanced game against a strong opponent," Coach Carmichael said after the match.
After the match, goal-scorer Lily Davis talked about looking ahead to next week's regional final with the momentum gained from the match. "I am so proud how the girls kept the momentum through the whole game," she said, "and I can't wait till next Saturday for our regional championship match to keep this momentum going."
This match capped off a great regular season for the Bruins and they now await the winner of Toccoa Falls College versus Trinity Baptist College. That match between the two will be at Alumni Stadium Thursday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m. The Bruins will play the winner in the regional final at Alumni Stadium Saturday, November 9th for a chance to go back to defend their national title!
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