Bruin senior Thomas Spratt appears to be landed on by a Bulldog defender after heading the ball for a second-half Bruin goal as senior Nick Corpening looks on. The Pilot/Jef Hatch

The Bruins, playing without starter Tyler Snow, were concerned coming into this game over the size of the Bulldogs’ front line, but size proved to be a moot point as the speed of the Bruins gave them the advantage at every turn.

Snow, out with a leg injury, is expected to return soon, according to the Bruin coaching staff.

The smaller and faster Bruins executed their game plan to near perfection in the first half of the game, said Head Coach Pancho Garcia.

In the first half of the game the Bruins, playing with the wind at their backs, refused to let the Bulldogs onto their half of the pitch and were able to cobble a goal on the rebound of a miraculous save by the North Bend goalie.

Junior forward Alan Anaya took a pass just outside the penalty box, and after dribbling past a Bulldog defender, shot on goal. 

The Bulldog’s goalie dove the opposite direction of the ball’s path, anticipating what he seemingly thought would be a shot on the far post, and was able to just barely catch the ball with his foot for a save.

Senior Nick Corpening, anticipating a deflection, followed the ball and was able to gently place it in the lower right-hand corner of the goal for the Bruins first point.

While dominating offensively in the first half of the game, the Bruins were not able to convert and only led the Bulldogs 1-0 when the whistle blew for the half.

The second half opened on what appeared to be tentative Bruin offense. The crisp passing and offensive press were replaced by a sloppiness uncharacteristic of the Bruin soccer program. 

“We were sort of afraid of the wind,” Garcia said, as he explained the tentative passing. “They thought it would affect the passes, so we tried to put the ball on the ground so the wind wouldn’t affect us.”

Many teams struggle with the wind when they travel to Brookings, and there have been claims that the Bruins benefit by being able to practice with it, but Garcia claims that isn’t the case this year.

“This is the first day we’ve really had wind,” he said. “We haven’t been able to practice with the wind at all.”

While the Bruins had the wind in their faces during the second half, they were able to put two balls in the net of the Bulldog’s goal.

The first score of the second half came on a diving header by senior Thomas Spratt off a cross by Corpening.

“It felt really good,” Spratt said. “It was my first diving header for a goal. I just put my head on it and prayed that it would go in.”

Spratt also played a part in the second goal of the second half as he took the ball to the corner before shooting a crossing pass to Anaya who connected to score.

The Bruins’ senior goalkeeper Chandler Gotfried had a shutout going until he was pulled in the waning moments of the game, blocking 15 of the 16 shots on goal that the Bulldogs took.

When asked what enabled him to block so many shots, Chandler explained that watching game film helped him adjust his position in regard to the ball and the goal. 

“Every goal that has been scored on me this season was because I’ve been out of position,” he said. “In this game I made sure I was staying in the goal. When I did, the ball came right to me because I was in the right place.”

Garcia pulled Gotfried and sophomore Bryce Aldrich after minor injuries, to be safe, he said. 

“I had the game won,” Garcia explained. “So I took precautions so no one gets hurt too much.”

The Bulldogs’ lone goal came after the Gotfried was replaced by junior Alex Garibay. The ball was batted around the penalty box in the final moments of the game before sneaking into the net over Garibay’s outstretched hand.

“I think the kids did a great job as a team, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Garcia said. “As far as the team working as a team and staying together, great success. I think we’re getting there.”

The Bruins head to Douglas on Tuesday to face the Trojans. Game time is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.