By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
ATHENS, Tenn. – A defensive struggle in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Semifinals broke out in the contest between Reinhardt and Tennessee Wesleyan, and a spot in the finals was rewarded to the Bulldogs thanks to a goal in the 74th minute on Saturday afternoon.
With the 1-0 loss, the 2019 season comes to a close for the Eagles at 13-6-1.
"It was a really a tough loss today, as our players worked really hard the entire 90 minutes," head coach Andy Kaplan said. "We had some pretty good chances at goal that we missed by a small margin. Tennessee Wesleyan did great with the chance they created.
It has been my privilege to coach these four seniors; Adrien Merrilles, Celeste Diaz, Gemma Hall and Summer Montgomery have been great players. They are even better people who I will miss seeing every day."
The hometown club actually outshot its host by one at 10-9, including three shots on-goal, as Reinhardt had a half-dozen attempts in the opening 45 minutes. The Bulldogs were able to double their shots in the final period to keep the pressure on.
A pair of Eagle shots were stopped in the first half, along with another chance from Summer Montgomery with 8:22 left as she tried to tie the score – Reinhardt wouldn't get another attempt at goal the rest of the way.
Adrien Merrilles finished her career with five shots, and on defense, Caroline Johnson made three saves in defeat.
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram.
