Truett McConnell University’s Women’s Soccer Team defeated Cumberlands University in a close match Saturday afternoon.
Neither side was able to score in the first half due to organized and physical play by both defenses. The Lady Patriots were able to get off only one shot attempt which missed wide, while TMU attempted four shots with two being on target but saved by the Lady Patriots’ GK.
Both teams continued their tough defensive efforts into the second half, but as the end of the match drew near, TMU began to have multiple scoring opportunities. In the last ten minutes, the Lady Bears attempted six shots and it was as if they were inching towards a score. The first of the six went wide, the next three were saved, and the fifth shot hit the goal post with 2:53 left in the match. Just twenty one seconds later, Jessica Lanier took the shot which broke the scoreless tie and proved to be the deciding goal in the match.
Coach David McDowell was very pleased with the effort and composure of his team during the match. “The overall performance was very positive and it says a lot about their character that they stuck with it to the end and got the winning goal late in the game.”
Friday night the TMU Bears soccer team faced off against the Brescia University Bearcats from Owensboro, KY. The match proved to be a high scoring affair between the squads with the Bears taking the majority of the shots in the match, but the Bearcats were very opportunistic in their offensive chances in their counter attacks.
The Bears struck first in the eighteenth minute when Joao Costa converted a PK opportunity after a handball was called against Brescia inside the box. Less than ten minutes later, in the twenty-seventh minute, Costa put the ball in the back of the net off an assist from Darian Bowen. TMU’s defense played strong during the first half limiting the Bearcats to just three shot attempts and TMU’s Evan Gaffney saving both shots on goal.
The second half provided most of the fireworks from the match in which five out of the seven goals were scored, nineteen of the thirty shots were taken, and both the yellow cards were given. The Bearcats scored their first goal in the forty-sixth minute, but Costa would complete his hat trick in the fifty-third. Despite the 3-1 lead, the match was far from settled because Brescia would fight back with two goals of their own, and the contest was tied with only thirty minutes remaining. The deciding goal would come off the foot of Frederico Divino after an assist from Giovanni Giraudo in the sixty-third minute. The Bears would cling to their 4-3 lead for the remainder of the match, resulting in their third win in as many games.
“Good feeling to be 3-0 for the season,” said Coach Miller after the game. “We learned about ourselves today and faced a lot of pressure. Tomorrow will be a different test for us and the boys are looking forward to getting back on the field tomorrow!”
TMU Bears Sports Information
