By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
BLUEFIELD, Va. – Reinhardt men's soccer finished the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 blanking on the road at the Rams of Bluefield (Va.) compliments of a pair of goals in the second half from Aaron Whitten.
The Eagles improved to 10-5-1 and hit double-digits in wins after claiming their fifth-consecutive positive outcome on the pitch.
"It is always a difficult task to get a positive result away at Bluefield and today was no exception," head coach Joey Johnson said. "The conditions were challenging, and I thought Coach Morton's players worked very hard. Our mentality strengthened as the game wore on and our level of effort continued to climb as the match progressed, which was necessary to secure a positive result.
Given the adversity this team has overcome this season, a runner-up finish in the AAC regular season is a testament to the resilience of these young men and the hard work they have continued to invest throughout the season. Now, we will await the seedings and pairings for AAC tourney this next week and look forward to beginning our preparation for the postseason."
Taylor Gray helped break the scoreless tie and found Whitten at the 47:23 mark for the game-winning goal, and the Eagles continued to put the pressure on the Ram defense until getting back on the scoreboard in the 62nd minute on a double assist from Leonardo Fagioli off service from Tauan Oliveira.
Reinhardt outshot Bluefield by 11 in the first half, but couldn't find the back of the net until the final 45 minutes of action – where the team outshot its hosts by 12 (13-1).
Whitten hit double figures in shots with 10 (three on-goal) to lead the offensive attack. Three additional players collected four-or-more attempts in the conference win.
Details about the AAC Championship will be announced when it becomes available.
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