The Bruin boys soccer team came into Thursday’s match up against a skilled Cascade Christian team dragging two home losses and and a tie behind them and looking to leave them in the past.
The Bruins came out with a different energy as the game started and attacked the Crusaders early, establishing their defense pushing Crusader attacks outside and pushing the ball into the Cascade Christian half of the field for much of the first half.
However, after keeping control of the Crusader attack for much of the first half, an accidentally tipped throw in from the Crusaders to the Bruin goal would get past the BHHS keeper giving Cascade Christian a 0-1 lead midway through the first half of play.
This awkward 0-1 Cascade Christian lead would be a false sense of security and the Crusaders would feel emboldened and believe they could take defensive risks and force their offensive into the Bruin boys defense.
The Bruin boys would doggedly work the midfield, challenging every possession and attacking at every opportunity, but the Crusaders defense would hold the Bruin attack, and take a 0-1 lead into the half.
In the second half, the Bruin boys would pick up right where they left off, and as their goal scoring opportunities continued to be turned away, their intensity and determination became their game, and forced them to continually fine tune their attacks on the fly.
As time began to run late in the second half, the pressure on the Crusader defense was relentless, but the Bruin boys just could not catch a break, a lucky bounce of deflection and time became an issue.
But the hustle would pay off late, when senior Tanner Anderson, #4, gained possession of a loose ball in the penalty box, and was fouled from behind creating a penalty kick scoring opportunity out of pure hustle, to tie the game at 1-1 with just 4:00 minutes left to play.
With time clicking the second half away, the Bruins continued their attack, keeping the Crusaders on their heels and out of position. This allowed senior forward, #10, Edgar Garcia-Olivera work his way into a open shot from the right corner of the box, beating the Crusader keeper high and left, giving the Bruins a game winning 2-1 lead and the start a new win streak.
“They really wanted it tonight and that showed and their passing and communication was fantastic” coach Ashley Pruitt said after the game. “We went into halftime knowing we had some work to do, and they believed in each other and themselves and got the win.”
The Bruin boys are on the road next Tuesday, traveling to Merrill, to challenge the 4-1 Lost River Raiders with kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm.
