Bruins grind out 1-0 win to secure sixth-straight appearance in CAC Championship Game

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Jake Cover scored his second-straight CAC Tournament game-winner as the second-seeded Bellevue University men's soccer team defeated Washington Adventist University 1-0 in Thursday's Continental Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal match.

With their seventh-straight victory, BU improves to 12-5-2 while WAU wraps up their 2023 season at 10-5-2. The Bruins will play in the conference championship match for a sixth-straight season, matching a program record for most consecutive championship game appearances (2005-10).

The Bruins, playing their first game in nearly two weeks, began the match just a bit tentative against an unfamiliar opponent as both teams spent the first 10-plus minutes feeling each other out.

Bellevue earned the first dangerous chance of the game with a free kick from the corner of the 18 in the 15^th minute. Fletcher Hedge sent his shot over the wall but couldn't get it back down and it buzzed over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, Caedmon Schwanke sent a dangerous cross into the box for the head of Aphelele Nzwanga but his header, from eight yards was saved by WAU's Gregoria Capponi.

The Bruins won another dangerous set piece in the 25^th minute as Giovani Lima Soares and Fletcher Hedge stood over the ball from 23 yards out. Hedge again took the shot, this one deflecting off the Shock wall and out for a corner kick that was dealt with.

Washington Adventist, making their first men's soccer postseason appearance of any kind, spent the first half going toe-to-toe with Bellevue but were unable to get comfortable going forward.

BU, playing on the offensive for the majority of the opening 45 minutes, finally drew first blood in the 43^rd minute. Jose-Miguel Boggio played a ball to Jake Cover at the edge of the box. Cover then curled a shot inside the far post for a 1-0 lead headed into the break. The goal was Cover's third of the season.

The halftime whistle sounded with Bellevue in control of the game on the stat sheet, having out-shot the Shock 7-1 and 4-0 on goal in the first half.

Bellevue defended securely, ceding nothing in the way of possession or chances to WAU, to open the second half while pushing forward when opportunities arose.

The Shock went over an hour between shots with the first coming in the opening 10 minutes and not getting another attempt until the 72^nd minute.

Taariq Ganga stopped all three shots on goal he faced to earn his eighth solo clean sheet and factor into an 11^th overall.

Capponi came up with a huge disruption for WAU in the 78^th minute, stopping a ball before Cover could get a point-blank attempt.

BU held Washington Adventist – who had totaled 77 goals through their first 17 games – to just _ shots with only _ finding its way on goal.

In doing so, the Bruins collected their seventh-straight clean sheet to extend their program-record shutout streak to 630 minutes and 27 seconds. The 11^th shutout of the season also set a BU record, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 shutouts set in 2005 and previously matched in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2018, and 2021.

Capponi finished with four saves in the defeat for Washington Adventist.

The Bruins out-shot WAU by final margins of 9-5 and 5-3 on goal while collecting a 3-2 advantage in corners.

Bellevue advances to Saturday evening's Championship Match where they will face top-seeded and #14 Florida National University at 6 p.m., following the Conquistadors' 5-4 win over Georgia Gwinnett earlier today.