– An exceptionally productive day on the pitch for Bryan College Athletics began as the No. 17 Bryan Lions Men’s Soccer team hosted fellow Appalachian Athletic Conference rival, St. Andrews University (N.C.) on Saturday for their first conference action of the 2017 season. St. Andrews caught a break just over ten minutes into the game when they were allowed a free kick near the top of the box and capitalized on the attempt. The single goal would allow St. Andrews the lead until Bryan’s Jonathan Ricketts netted the equalizer in the 60th-minute.
After weeks of fall temperatures, the random summer heat played a major role by zapping energy on both sides of the field. The back-and-forth play would eventually end in the Lion’s favor as Dino Jones found the back of the net for the go-ahead goal at 83:37. As the last three and a half minutes ticked off the clock, Charlie Clarke made sure the Lions would end their AAC opener in convincing fashion as he exploded for a trio of goals, helping Bryan to an overwhelming 5-1 win. The Lion’s overall record now sits at 5-3 and are 1-0 in conference play, while the Knights sink to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the AAC.
Ruben Vaca took the only shot for St. Andrews in the opening period, but the free kick was flawlessly positioned around Bryan’s defense and in the far left of the goal, whizzing by the outstretched hands of a diving Alex Horton and into the back of the net. The Knight’s edged out the Lions for almost 50 minutes of play with their only score of the match.
The second half surge by Bryan would silence St. Andrews, beginning at 29:02 when Brad Spooner went on the attack down the right side, found an open Kevin Roenpage who charged the deep left side of the box, before waiting till the last second and playing a spectacular ball to Jonathan Ricketts on the far post. Ricketts took control of the pass and buried a strike into the net for his first goal of the year and second in his career, tying the score 1-1.
In the last ten minutes, Bryan Head Coach Drew Courtney recognized fatigue setting in for St. Andrews and took advantage of the situation. Courtney gave word for the Lions to attack, and relentless pressure by the home team resulted in the game-winning goal being recorded by Dino Jones with only 6:23 remaining in the game. The combination of Spooner and Roenpage helped prepare Jones for his first goal of the season and fourth as a Lion, owning a 2-1 advantage heading into the final moments.
When most players were exhausted, Clarke got his second win at 2:27 when Jones sailed a long pass to Keith Lyons on the right side of the field. Lyons noticed a cutting Clarke amidst the Knight’s defenders and hit him with the pass. Clarke caught St. Andrews off guard and made them pay, extending the Lion’s lead to 3-1. The Knights came up short on a failed attack and were answered with a dagger by Clarke. Lewis Perkins tallied his first career assist when Clarke trailed his initial score by a mere 46 seconds with his second goal of the competition, putting Bryan on top 4-1. If 46 seconds seemed impressive, the Lions swiped the ball away from the Knights and Ricketts directed a pass to the hot feet of Clarke who blazed his way around St. Andrews players before completing the hat trick, just 43 seconds after his second goal. The damage would be done after Clarke’s last score, earning Bryan a substantial 5-1 victory.
As a team, the Lions outshot the Knights a blistering 15-5 with eight on target compared to St. Andrew’s lone on-goal look.
Bryan will try to stay perfect in AAC play in their next matchup, as they host Reinhardt University (Ga.) on Tuesday, Sept. 19 with kickoff scheduled for 7pm.