The Bruins beat the Great Lakes Christian College Crusaders 5-0 to sail to another NCCAA national championship.
"Our team stepped up big time with a gutsy performance," Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "They trusted each other and the process and were able to grow together and win a national championship and for that I couldn't be more proud of this team."
The beginning of the first half provided the Bruins with a lot of pressure by the Crusaders. "We definitely struggled with their pressure and took us a while to start breaking it and creating goal scoring opportunities," said Coach Carmichael. The first real chance the Bruins got was when they broke the 0-0 draw. Abby Arrowood sent the ball up the line to senior Sarah Ward who was able to outrun the defense with several touches into the box before getting it past the Crusaders goalkeeper. Even with the lead, the air left the stadium a little bit in the 22nd minute when tournament golden ball winner Celeste Baladi came up hobbling on a play. She had to exit the match and did not return. While that was a big loss in the match, the Bruins showed the resolve they have showed all season long in the face of adversity. "When our leading tournament scorer Celeste Baladi went out with an injury we knew the team was going to have to step up and fill her void and I couldn't be more proud of this team for doing exactly that," Coach Carmichael said.
The second half of the match is when the Bruins seemed to settle in. The Bruins were calm and patient for their offensive chances while only allowing two shots all half. Any sort of ball sent up the field by the Crusaders was gathered up by a perfectly positioned Margaret Cummings, the standout goalkeeper for the Bruins who held a clean sheet the whole tournament! The Bruins desperately wanted at least a second goal to be a little more comfortable to finish out the match, but they got more. They won a corner kick in the 55th minute in which Mia Marks took. After one deflection in the box, defender Abby Arrowood connected with the ball and put it up above the goalkeeper's head to extend the Bruins lead to 2-0. That kind of lead is one to be content with, especially in the national championship match, but the Bruins wanted more. The flood gates opened in the 82nd minute when Marks found Francesca Peters through the line and Peters scored making it 3-0. Peters wasn't done. Just a minute later, she had an absolute strike from distance that was perfectly placed in the top corner for her second goal in two minutes. She showed up in the big moments again. The icing on the cake came when Mia Marks, the graduate student, the leader, the all-time assists leader, the South Region player of the year, and this year's tournament MVP also struck the ball from distance. After having two assists, she scored one herself to cap off the brilliant match by the Bruins.
After the match, goal-scorer Abby Arrowood was glowing. "I'm so proud of this team! she said. "We've pushed each other all season to be the best we can be, and tonight we showed that we are the best! We played our hearts for each other and for the Lord and brought home the banner!"
There are a few key players on this team that don't stand out in the box score but stand out as doing what is best for the team. Jane Farr, Jessica Townsend, Reagan Tierney, Shannon Miller, and Estrella Cruz all played an incredible match. Cruz shared her thoughts after the match: "Throughout the tournament, our team exerted an immense amount of effort to secure our title. Today, all players displayed a high level of confidence, and we exerted ourselves to the fullest. We have been extremely fortunate as a squad, and we are delighted to announce that we have secured consecutive championships!"
The energy at the stadium throughout the match was high. So many families, friends, and the Bruin's men's team were there cheering on this team to victory. "We greatly appreciate our parents and the men's soccer team for bringing the energy to the cheering section. They really added the energy we needed and the team greatly appreciates their support during the game," said Coach Carmichael.
It is important to note that this Bruins team has overcome so much adversity this season. Elli Cummings, Sylvia Cummings, Myleigh Shaw, and Julia Hartzler were all out with injuries. "They were all a huge part of our early successes this season and left a big void to fill," Coach Carmichael said. Next season could be just as special for the Bruins with all the players returning, those players getting healthy, and a talented freshman class coming in.
This was the final career match for four Bruins players. Mia Marks, Sarah Ward, Jessica Townsend, and Abby Nelson will leave a legacy of excellence, teamwork, success, but most importantly, a legacy of Jesus' love.
Since August, this team has been special. The defense, the midfield, and the offense all worked together to have quite the season. Through all the adversity and challenges, they have finished the season with a 17-4-1 record and finished the job and became the 2024 NCCAA National Champions!
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