The Bruins lost 5-0 to the Chowan University Hawks Monday in their last home game of the season.

The game was designated Senior Night, celebrating seniors Joseph Wooster and Ryan Beadles as they played their final game at Alumni Stadium.

The Hawks took an early edge in the game, penetrating deep into the Bruins’ 18. But Bruins freshmen A.J. Redlinger and Garrett Martin quickly responded with attacks of their own. A few missed opportunities, including a close header by junior Ryan McCarty, highlighted the Bruins’ intense offensive effort against the Hawks.

Although the Bruins controlled the ball for most of the first 15 minutes, the Hawks managed to slip the ball by Wooster to put the first goal on the scoreboard with 30 minutes left. Four minutes later, junior Travis Woodham was tripped up by the Hawks forward, leaving the net open. The Hawks capitalized and scored their second goal of the night.

At this point, the Bruins appeared to struggle more as their form slackened. Their energy, however, remained high. At one point, Woodham forced a turnaround with a solid defensive effort and immediately pushed the ball back down the field, nearly resulting in a Bruins goal.

With 10 minutes left, the Bruins sent the ball soaring over the Hawks’ defense, resulting in a near miss by sophomore John Wilson. But the Hawks responded three minutes later with their third goal of the night. Even though the Bruins held control for most of the half, the scoreboard showed the home team down 3-0.

During halftime, seniors Ryan Beadles and Joseph Wooster were honored for their years of dedication to the team. Starting every year since the inaugural season, Beadles is well known for his well-placed corner kicks and deep left-side attacks.

Wooster, the starting goalie this year, started last year and has played in over 30 games. Leaving a record of exemplary judgment and fearless tenacity, he will be missed in the goal. Both players plan to begin careers that focus on sports and fitness.

Whatever plans the Bruins had for the second half were quickly disrupted as the Hawks placed a header inside the goal after only 37 seconds of play. The Bruins continued to play hard, but the outcome of the game was all but certain. With 23 minutes left, the Hawks scored the final goal of the night. Despite a strong defensive display and numerous scoring opportunities for the Bruins, the Hawks managed to capitalize on their chances to win the game.

Looking forward to the Bruins’ next game, sophomore Josh Harm remarked, “Coach has been preparing us very well. Columbia is kind of our rival because they started the same year as us. All that aside, we need to prepare and show up. We’re going to keep working on our midfield and probably work on some finishing coming up because we need to be more consistent on putting the ball in the back of the net. From a defensive perspective, we need to get nailed down back there, especially with playoffs coming up.”

The Bruins, despite an overall losing record, grew and developed this season. Injuries to Daniel Herr and Joseph Wooster hindered the team slightly, but with only two seniors graduating, the team will return in hopes of building on what they started this year.

The Bruins have two more away games in the regular season. The first of those will take place at Columbia International University Nov. 6.