With a 2-0 shutout, the Bears earned their second home win of the season in a highly aggressive match against the University of North Florida Ospreys on Sept. 10, leaving them with a record of 2-2-1. 

“I think the last 2 games have been a reflection of the pace we’ve set since our first game of the season,” senior defender Bradyn Knutson said. “We were unfortunate to not get the results we felt we were capable of getting the first three games, so it felt great knowing that the game plan and effort of our team has been rewarded with these last two home matches.”

The action-packed game ended with 15 fouls for each team, seven of those appearing in the first 15 minutes of the match.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, frequent fouls led to the ejection of sophomore defender Richard-Miguel Lapointe-Guevara, leaving the Bears with only 10 players to play. Soon after, an Osprey also received a red card leaving North Florida with only 10 players. 

“We pride ourselves in our physical style of play and our grit to outwork other teams,” Knutson said. “We obviously don’t want to foul or put the hands in the game of the referee, but playing aggressively is one of our main strengths.”

Senior forward Sebastian Andreassan scored the first goal of the game off a pass from Knutson securing the 1-0 lead in the 15th minute to carry over into halftime. The heated game carried on until the 74th minute when the Bears earned a penalty in the offensive third.

Senior forward Mathias Bendiksen took the penalty kick earning their second goal, leaving the game 2-0. 

Despite the red card earned earlier in the half, the Bears proved they could still fight with just 10 players and secure a win. 

“It’s never an easy task going down a man but we showed resilience and we kept fighting and running and even though we went a man down, we still aren’t easy to breakdown,” Adreassan said.

“I feel that going down to 10 men pushed us to work even harder and smarter as a collective unit,” Knutson said. 

The Bears had a total of four shots on goal, while the Ospreys had one. Meanwhile, the Ospreys had two saves on goal, while the Bears only had one. 

“In this game what set us apart … was our determination and our willingness to compete and to do every effort for each other, and of course the fact that our dangerous moments were rewarded by goals,” senior midfielder Karim Diao said. 

The quality of their teammates is a major factor in the team’s success.

“Our strength is our group, how we stick together when the going gets tough and how we stick up for one and another,” Adreassan said. “We have some quality regarding the players which in the end shows up on the scoreboard.”

The Bears will play their next game against the Bellarmine Knights in Louisville, Ky. on Sept. 17.