Greenville weather tried to derail the Bruins' season opener, but after a lengthy delay, the Bruins came out firing, taking down the Rams 4-1 to open the 2026 season.
The first half began and both teams had some early chances in on goal. The Rams found themselves in a good position to score several times in the first ten minutes of the match when they had three corner kick opportunities. One of the resulted in a shot, but it went over the bar. The Bruins answered back with chances of their own; the best coming in the 12th minute when Bucky Provenzano shot one off the crossbar.
Both teams settled in and possessed for the rest of the half, but weren't able to find the back of the net. The halftime score was still 0-0. As halftime began, lightning began to strike in Greenville, and the match was placed under a weather delay that lasted nearly two hours.
After much patience from the teams, refs, and game day staff, the second resumed late in the Greenville night. It took no time at all for the Bruins to strike first. David Issa found freshman Solomon Leaman in the box and Leaman put it home to score the first goal of the match and of the 2026 season. The Bruins held the 1-0 lead while the Rams were getting chance after chance to tie it at one goal apiece.Â
A Bruins yellow card in the 82nd minute gave the Rams a free kick chance. The Rams kick-taker shocked the stadium and buried a beautiful shot near post to tie it 1-1.
After the scored was knotted 1-1, Bucky Provenzano re-entered the game and put on a show in the final 10 minutes of the match. The first goal of his hat trick came from a penalty kick in the 83rd minute after a handball was called in the box. Just one minute later, freshman Dylan Poweska forced a Rams mistake. The ball ended up at the feet of Fiston Issa who found Provenzano for his second goal in as many minutes. To cap it off in the 87th minute, Provenzano scored a dandy to begin the season with a hat trick which pushed the Bruins to a 4-1 win.
Tonight's match was a special season opener, because it was also a homecoming match for former assistant Ryan McCarty who is now the head coach of Bluefield University. "We couldn't be more thankful for the impact Coach Ryan had on our program over the years as a player and a coach," Bruins Head Coach Greg Fulton said. "To welcome him home in our first game of the season as he starts his career as a head coach is really special and we wish his a long and successful career!"
The Bruins look to continue the hot start when they host Columbia International University on August 29. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
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