To open the second month of regular season play for the Bruins men’s soccer team, the team traveled to Georgia last weekend for its fourth away game.

Facing off against the Emmanuel College Lions, a regional competitor team, the Bruins lost in a tight 1-2 overtime struggle.

Despite the loss, this game marked the season’s first away-game goal for the Bruins men.

The chilly night game opened in gridlock. The Bruins spent the first half getting used to Emmanuel’s style of play.

The Lions spearheaded their assaults with talented strikers, but the Bruins defense rose to the challenge. Physical team play and several incredible saves by senior goalie Joseph Wooster kept the Lions from scoring. But the same story was repeated on the other side of the field. Although neither team scored for the duration of the first half, the Bruins were not at all deterred.

Having adapted to Emmanuel’s tactics in the first half, the Bruins were ready to pull ahead.

Despite the Lions scoring first blood, the Bruins roared back six minutes later with a goal of their own. Sophomore Andrew Moisant took the ball down the side and crossed it to freshman Jared Simmons. Simmons placed the ball far post to even the score at 1-1.

That perfectly executed goal gave the Bruins squad an energy boost to finish out the half.

The game continued with physical play as both teams struggled to end the game before overtime commenced. Intense pressure from the Bruins resulted in several scoring opportunities, but none materialized as goals.

At 90 minutes, the whistle sounded with the scoreboard standing at 1-1.

The tie led to an overtime period of golden goal. The first team to score in that period would immediately be declared the winner.

Overtime didn’t last long. With only two minutes elapsed, the Lions raced past the Bruins’ defense, and a striker bent the ball past Wooster to win the game.

In summarizing the game, Andrew Moisant said, “We definitely played well against them, and we knew they were a quality team. To go head-to-head with them was a positive takeaway. We really wanted the victory but just didn’t get it.”

Although the game ended with a loss, the Bruins handled a formidable offensive opponent in their first overtime game.