NEWBERG, Ore. --- In their second exhibition tune-up match before kicking off the regular season, the Bruins hung tough against the NAIA College of Idaho Yotes for nearly the entire first half before a late goal in the waning minutes.
 
The Yotes opened the second half with a furious onslaught, scoring a pair of goals within a three-minute span early in the period and went on to a 4-0 victory at Austin Sports Complex.
 
"We were up against a team that is far deeper in their preseason," said Bruins first-year head coach Paul Karver, "and we were able to get minutes for all our healthy field players."
 
In a first half that was fairly evenly played, George Fox had its best scoring opportunity in the 25^th minute when sophomore midfielder Alex Rincon sent a long ball over the top to freshman midfielder Joshua Chang, who maneuvered between two COI defenders to get a strong 20-yard shot off that just sailed wide of goal.
 
The Bruins attempted only one more shot in the half before the Yotes' J.J. Osuna put one into the back of the net with less than two minutes to give COI a 1-0 lead.
 
"Certainly some bright spots," said Karver, "but we know if we don't finish the chances we have, we won't be on the side of the scoreline we want to be.
 
The Yotes opened the second half with a flurry. Caio Pereira's header appeared headed for the back of the net in the 52^nd minute, but George Fox goalkeeper Alex Muir made a lunging save to his right to parry it away. Pereira jumped on the loose ball and fired it to the right side of the goal to put COI up 2-0. Just a couple minutes later, Osuna scored his second goal of the match from close range to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. An own goal closed the scoring in the 80^th minute.
 
"This is another step in our growth process," said Karver. "The scoreline isn't fun but it helps us identify our gaps and grow."
 
The Bruins play their regular season opener on Wednesday, when they welcome Bushnell University (formerly N.W. Christian U.) to the Austin Sports Complex for a 7:30 p.m. match, followed by a Sunday morning tilt on Sep. 5 against Multnomah University.