On a beautiful night in Greenville, South Carolina, the BJU Bruins women’s soccer team defeated the Tennessee Temple University Crusaders by a final score of 3-1.
The Bruins women had a tough act to follow after the Bruins men defeated TTU 2-1 with help from a last-second goal. In spite of the pressure, the Bruins women, propelled by a hat trick from Anna Daulton, were able to secure an important win late into the 2014 season. In addition, Friday night was designated Faculty Appreciation Night for BJU and was a definite success.
With the crowd still elated from the exciting finish to the men’s game, the atmosphere at Alumni Stadium was filled to the brim with excitement and anticipation from the opening whistle. Even with a few key players missing, the fans were not disappointed.
The Bruins controlled most of the tempo and possession throughout the first half. After the game Coach Chris Carmichael said, “Our style of play really requires a heavy possession rate.” The Bruins created the best goal-scoring opportunities when they spread the field and worked the ball around the midfield and down the wings. Carmichael also mentioned several things to work on going into next week: “Right now, we are trying to get back to being more patient in the midfield third, and just trying to make sure we stage our attacks patiently from there.”
To open the scoring for the Bruins, Anna Daulton connected on a cross by Kaitlyn Hummel from the left wing. Excellent passing and exceptional player movement on and off the ball throughout the midfield and left wing set up Daulton’s goal. Carmichael said the team was concentrating on possession in the midfield and movement down the wings. That scheme proved to be successful for the Bruins.
The second of three Bruin goals resulted from a Crusader turnover in the midfield. Lauren Foushee led Daulton with a perfect pass through the defense that Daulton finished into the left corner of the net. The important score came with only three minutes left in the first half, giving the Bruins some security. The final Daulton goal came with 17 minutes left in the game. Adi Blaj assisted her to secure the victory for the BJU soccer sweep of the Crusaders. TTU midfielder Kristiana Pumpure tallied an inconsequential goal for the Crusaders that prevented goalkeeper Tori Anderson and the Bruins defense from recording their seventh shutout of the season.
The Bruins controlled most of the possession battle throughout the game. They held a 25-5 shot advantage and created far more offensive opportunities than the visiting Crusaders.
One of the most memorable moments on the night came at halftime. With BJU celebrating Faculty Appreciation Night, two Bruins captains were given a microphone and expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the positive influence that several faculty members had exhibited throughout their collegiate careers.
Overall, Friday night was a fantastic day for the Bruins women’s soccer team. The team now carries a 9-3-2 record into the last few weeks of the season as they look to continue their dominance throughout the rest of the season and repeat their championship run from a year ago.
