A distant
thunderstorm rumbled across the horizon as the BJU Bruins took on the
Freed-Hardeman University Lions in what would soon become a historic match.
The first half was
filled with multiple goal opportunities for both teams as Matt Moore lead the charge
for the Bruins and Christopher Campbell fired away for the Lions. Bruin goalie
Cam Newton barely got a finger on a vicious shot that banged off the post in
the 16th minute and the Bruin faithful held their breath as the ball rolled
across the gaping mouth of the goal before going out of bounds.
BJU seemed anxious
to score but could not find a way to put the ball past the Lions’ goalie. The
Bruins’ Joel Cave showed excellent poise at the center back position,
relentlessly defending with poise and determination for the entire game despite
the physical play of the other team. Cave’s strong play in the first half
carried over into the second half, and when the Lions made one last desperate
attempt to score as the clock wound down it was Joel who put his foot on the
ball and cleared it away from danger. The physical nature of the match led to 8
yellow cards being distributed between the two teams.
The teams entered
halftime tied at 0. The second half started much the same as the first. But in
the 66th minute the Lions’ Campbell fired a free kick straight through the BJU
defensive wall to give Freed-Hardeman the lead.
The Lions showed
signs of their eight-hour bus ride as fatigue set in and many of their players
began cramping. Freed-Hardeman also lost their captain after two Lions collided
and the player on the bottom had to be carted off the field. The Bruins took
advantage of the Lions’ misfortune in the 77th minute as Jordan Allen stabbed a
loose ball into the back of the net to equalize the score at 1-1.
Distant
bolts of lightning punctuated Bruin scoring opportunities throughout the second
half, but unlike the lightning, the Bruins were able to strike twice.
With just less
than 10 minutes left on the clock Travis Woodham charged the net with the ball
and threaded a cross through the defense. Mark Bonikowsky took the shot but a
Lions’ defender deflected the ball away from the target. Realizing the ball had
returned to him, Bonikowsky didn’t hesitate to send the ball straight back to
the goal and put the Bruins in front to stay.
“It feels really
good. I’m thankful the Lord gave me the opportunity to play and the opportunity
to score a goal” was Mark’s take on scoring the first game-winning goal in
Bruins’ history. Coach McCormick was excited to get the first win early in the
season and gave the Lord the praise and the glory for the historic event.
As the game clock
reached zero the Bruin faithful began to rejoice. The Narwhals lined the edge
of the field singing and cheering wildly as the Bruin players ran over to
acknowledge the fans. Coaches, players, family and friends all lingered in
conversation in Alumni Stadium until the lights began to turn off. They just
didn’t want September 6, 2012 to ever end.
