On Saturday, Sept. 13, the BJU Bruins men’s soccer team dropped another loss; a 0-1 shutout against the Clearwater Christian College Cougars.

Looking to bounce back from their opening loss to Southern Wesleyan University (0-3), the Bruins traveled to Clearwater, Florida, to participate in a two-game series that ended with a matchup between the Bruins and the Cougars, during which the Cougars scored the solitary goal in the second half.

In the first half, both teams made multiple attempts on goal. The friendly rivalry was very much alive, with both teams working to create scoring chances and fighting to maintain control of the momentum. Nevertheless, the score was locked at 0-0 at halftime.

The second half of the game played out as would be expected of a classic rivalry match.

Both teams struggled to make that single play that would break the frustrating deadlock.

Then, 20 minutes after the start of the second half, the Cougars found the opening that they had been waiting for since the start of the clock. Cougars forward, James Sikes, kicked the ball over Bruins goalie Joseph Wooster to score the lone goal of the game.

Down by one goal, the Bruins turned up the heat in the final minutes of the match in an attempt to even the score.

A shot by senior Ryan Beadles went wide, and the two free kicks by the Bruins were cleared by the Cougars. The Bruins fought hard until the end, but Clearwater managed to hold on to its 1-0 lead to win the game.

“No matter who we play, we have to show up ready to play,” Beadles said, looking ahead to the next game against Montreat College on Sept. 16. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s Clearwater or Southern Wesleyan; we have to be ready to play anybody.”