Two late penalty kicks propelled the Pioneers to a 2-0 victory over the Bruins.

"We came into tonight knowing it was going to be a very physical game," Head Coach Greg Fulton said. "We knew it was going to be physical and emotional. Getting the short end on some calls hurt, but ultimately we're going to focus on what we can learn and what we have to do."

The first half was exactly what the coaches expected. The Bruins had to be scrappy to get the ball away from the speedy forwards on the Pioneers side. They did exactly that led by Reid Burgin playing center back tonight. On the offensive side, the Bruins had several big chances to score and break the 0-0 tie, especially in the 39th minute. David Issa used his footwork to get past defenders before sending it to the far post connecting with Bryce Ramler. Ramler was able to get his foot on the ball but it went off the post. The Bruins held off the Pioneers scoring threats and went into halftime knotted at 0-0.

It was the same story for the majority of the second half. The Bruins defense did a great job containing the Pioneers, which led to more possession in the midfield. The tide changed in the 68th minute, however. Throughout the rest of the match, the Bruins saw six yellow cards, while the Pioneers stayed stain-free. The 0-0 draw was broken in the 77th minute when the Pioneers were awarded a penalty kick. Now down 1-0, the Bruins were still fighting and doing well at it too. In the 82nd minute, Bucky Provenzano took a free kick and nearly found the top right corner before it was saved by the Pioneers goalkeeper. For the rest of the match, the Bruins had a steady attack but were ultimately held scoreless again. In the final 20 seconds, Tusculum countered and won another penalty kick to put away the match winning 2-0. 

"I know [the offense] is bubbling a little bit. We know we have quality on offense, and we're learning a new system," said Coach Fulton. "While the result isn't what we want, we have what we're looking for. It's a matter of time before we start beating really good teams."

The Bruins face another good team Saturday as they travel to Montreat College for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff.