The Bruins fought through a physical match to beat the Trinity College of Jacksonville Eagles 1-0 and win their fourth straight NCCAA DII South Region championship.
"I am so extremely proud of this team and abundantly blessed to be their coach," Head Coach Chris Carmichael said. "It was a gritty match but they controlled the game and Lydia Howell hit another golazo to get us the win. The entire team stepped up big to beat a very strong Trinity College of Jacksonville team. We now turn our attention to nationals and will use this week to strengthen some areas we need to work on."
The Bruins established possession and control of the match pretty quickly into the first half. The Eagles had the first big chance in the fourth minute with a corner kick but it was foiled by the defense. From then until the end of the half, the Bruins kept the Eagles to zero shots and zero corner kicks. The Bruins fired eight shots in the half with the best opportunity on a shot by Chloe Ludlum in the 30th minute that was saved by the Eagles' goalkeeper. The match went to halftime with a 0-0 draw.
As the second half began, it felt like the first to score would win the match, and the Bruins wasted no time. Three minutes into the half, Lydia Howell fired a shot off the post, got her own rebound, and put it into the back of the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. For the rest of the match, the Bruins had to deal with physicality from the Eagles fighting to get back into it. The Bruins kept the Eagles chances limited, but with just over 12 minutes to play, Bruins fans held their breath. The Eagles got the best shot of the game but Bruins' goalkeeper Margaret Provenzano made a terrific save to keep the Bruins 1-0 lead. That lead held until the final whistle, and the Bruins came away victorious.
With this region championship win, the Bruins punch their automatic ticket to the national tournament in Kissimmee, Florida beginning November 16. Seeding for the tournament has yet to be announced.
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