By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
WALESKA, Ga. – Men's soccer was able to hold off a comeback attempt from Truett-McConnell (Ga.) in the quarterfinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, as a trio of goals to start the match was just enough in a 3-2 win at home.
The Eagles (11-5-1) took another step towards back-to-back conference banners as they started the outing on a 3-0 run and never looked back.
"Single-elimination tournament matches always present a new level of challenge as quality teams are competing with a level of intensity rarely found in regular season play. I have to credit Coach Miller and his players as they were well-prepared and played with great heart and resilience today.
As a coaching staff and as a team, we are always learning, and this match was another test that presents us an opportunity to continue to pursue improvement as a group. The players showed character and heart today which are two essential qualities to compete well in postseason play. Through the players' efforts, we are fortunate to be able to extend that journey together another week and prepare for further challenges ahead."
Taylor Gray earned the first of his two assists at the 7:08 mark in the first period after Yosr Frej gave his team an early 1-0 advantage. About 30 minutes later, Leonardo Fagioli doubled Reinhardt's lead at 2-0 off another dime from Gray.
The scoring momentum continued just seconds later for the Eagles as Antonio Ciardiello streaked through the Bear defense and found the back of the net once more for the hometown team.
Truett-McConnell stopped the bleeding just before the break at 40:23 to get on the board thanks to a stellar shot past Severin Ryf. The visitors would get within striking distance after an inadvertent own-goal off a Reinhardt defender cut the Bears deficit to 3-2 at 63:41.
Neither team would add anymore tallies the rest of the way after the tension rose and the defenses stood up strong on both sides of the field. Truett-McConnell would possess the ball on a couple of occasions late in the outing, but couldn't find anything substantial to threaten the Eagles' one-goal lead.
The Eagles doubled-up the opposition in shots, combining for an 18-9 total en route to the triumph.
Aaron Whitten led the way with five shots, while Ciardiello collected four attempts.
Ryf made three stops in-net.
The club awaits its next matchup at Bryan (Tenn.) next Saturday.
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram.
