Box Score The Bruins stormed into Rome, Georgia and took a 5-2 win against the NCAA DII Shorter University Hawks.
"I am proud of how we battled through the many ups and downs of the game and I see we are figuring out who we are," Head Coach Greg Fulton said. "We are so incredibly early in our season and we have much to figure out but I love how we are unifying as a group."
Going into the game, the Bruins wanted to use size and effort to get the ball deep and create chances. That game plan was executed to perfection for the first 30 minutes of the half. The Bruins were able to score four unanswered goals to take a 4-0 lead. The first goal came early in the 9th minute when David Issa found far post on a finesse shot for his second goal of the season. Just a few minutes later in the 18th minute, Asher Aurednik crossed it in to freshman Fiston Issa who scored his first career goal to make it 2-0; two goals by two Issas. The 3-0 lead came just two minutes later when goalkeeper Luke Provenzano found Asher Aurednik over the top. To close out the hot start, Jackson Reinhard stayed aggressive and took the ball away. He wasted no time to put a hard shot on net and past the goalkeeper. The lead gave Bruins some comfort, but maybe too much.
The Hawks put their foot on the gas in the final 15 minutes of the first half. In the 32nd minute, the Hawks striker sneaked through the line, and the Bruins thought they drew him off. The flag stayed down, however, and the Hawks scored their first goal. The pressure heightened even more for the Bruins in the 36th minute when the Hawks were able to get through the line again. After putting another goal away, the score was 4-2 at halftime.
Even though the Bruins were still up two goals, they felt pressure and went into halftime to make adjustments for a stronger second half. The whole half was just an aggressive back-and-forth game from both teams. Bruins contained most threats, and the others were foiled by some key saves by Luke Provenzano. The Bruins weren't able to finish the chances they got until the final seconds of the match. Sam Gaddis got the ball in the midfield and found Aurednik forward who made a great touch around the defender and finished it for his second goal of the match. The 90th minute goal sealed the 5-2 win for the Bruins over the NCAA DII Hawks.
After this win, Coach Fulton is looking forward: "This season will be a massive challenge for this group with many young players getting significant playing time so the message in the locker room is patiently trusting the process. We will turn our focus to a gauntlet of games focusing on recovery and unity."
The "gauntlet" begins on Tuesday, September 9 against Belmont Abbey College. This match stands out to the returning Bruins players because Crusaders handed the Bruins one of two losses last season. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. under the lights at Alumni Stadium.
