After pressuring the opposing goalkeeper to make a mistake, Lydia Howell found the back of the net to lead the Bruins to a 1-0 win over the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers.
"IÂ am incredibly proud of how our team stepped up against a very strong NCAA D2 team and played with resolve and determination for 90 minutes," Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "We group defended very well and were able to sustain more attacks and create more opportunities in the attacking third. Margaret Provenzano was stellar in the goal and made so many incredible stops to keep us in the game. Lydia Howell was relentless with pressing the backs and keeper and finally was able to get the second ball from her efforts and notch the game winning goal. The entire team stepped up and I can't be more proud of how they responded today and exerting their will for 90 minutes."Â
The match mirrored the way last match against Brevard College was, but the Bruins came away with the win. The first half was a heavily defensive match especially against corner kicks for Tuskegee. Goalkeeper Margaret Provenzano was in command of her box the whole game and didn't let the Golden Tigers convert on any of the 11 corner kicks tonight. In the first half, the Bruins only had two shots, and the one on goal was from Madison Avelino. Neither team could score so they went into halftime knotted 0-0.
The second half was much of the same, but the Bruins were able to possess the ball much more in their offensive third. This gave the opportunity for the Bruins to keep high pressure against Tuskegee's backline and goalkeeper. That kind of pressure by Lydia Howell forced a mistake by the goalkeeper and she took advantage to score after a takeaway in the box. That was the only shot the Bruins had in the second half, and that is all they needed. The Bruins defenders were rock solid today, especially left back Jane Farr who was able to frustrate Tuskegee's main scorer. After defending the last several minutes, the Bruins came away with a big 1-0 win over the talented NCAA DII squad.
Coach Carmichael highlights the rest they have before their next match: "We will get a good healthy break and come back and try to win out our regular season and earn another winning season as we prepare for our regional tournament."
Goal-scorer Lydia Howell shared her thoughts after the game: "Slow first half for us, but we dominated the second half by possessing around our opponent. We were able to get a goal halfway into the second half, and we maintained our defensive pressure till the end of the game."
Bruins defender Lauren Green added some words as well: "Today's game was a very physically demanding one for us but we powered through and sustained a high work rate and pressure throughout the majority of the game which eventually lead to our goal. Every girl gave today's game their all and I'm super proud of everyone.
The Bruins are back at Alumni Stadium next Saturday as they host Spartanburg Methodist College for Senior Day. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m.
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