Eagles Settle for Tie in Truett-McConnell Matchup

Waleska, GA - It was a great atmosphere at Ken White Field on Wednesday evening for the matchup with Truett-McConnell. The Eagles were coming off a huge win last week with CIU which promoted Reinhardt to a tie at the top of the table. In addition to this, the Eagles were recognized as receiving votes in the NAIA National Poll for the first time this season.

The Eagles were definitely looking for the win in today's game as they outshot the bears 22 to 9. The ball was on Truett-McConnell's end of the field a majority of the time and the Eagles' attack was strong, however, they could seem to get a good shot against the Bears' keeper. Surprising to fans in the stands, it would be Truett that would get the first goal which came in the thirty-eighth minute of the first half. The Eagles had been playing solid defense, but one letdown on defense where one of the Bears' attackers got free in front of the goal. After the ball ricocheted off of several players, it landed at the feet of the Truett attacker and squeezed it in the goal past the Eagles' defense. There was not a lot goalkeeper Niko Tzevelekos could do with the player at point-blank range.

The Eagles would take a 0-1 deficit into halftime and try to regroup for the second half. The Eagles would come out swinging again controlling the game and getting several shots on goal. They had one shot go off the right post from a header by Paul Nitsch. Later, a header by Pavel Dashin would hit the crossbar which had all the fans in attendance on the edge that the game was about to be tied. The Eagles would have to wait a little longer and when things seemed like it was not going to be the Eagles' night - Dashin would get a good cross from Maxime Correia which he slammed in on the backside of the goal. It was a sense of relief in the stadium as so many chances were narrowly missed earlier in the game. The goal came in the seventy-sixth minute of the game so the Eagles still had a little time to get another goal and walk away with the win.

Time would move on for the Eagles after getting a few more opportunities in the final ten minutes of the game. The Bears had "parked the bus" in the second half and it was very difficult to get a good shot on goal, especially in the final minutes of the game.

Niko Tzevelekos had a good game in goal getting 2 saves on 3 shots on goal. Blake White would lead the way for the Eagles with 5 shots on goal with several just narrowly missing the target.

Even with this game being a tie, the Eagles still have a chance to move to a solo spot at the top of the standings depending on how things play out in the last few remaining games. The Eagles will be on the road this Saturday when they travel to Milligan for another important AAC game. Reinhardt has the ability to win out the remainder of the schedule and then they can see how other teams finished to see where they might be seated in the AAC Tournament.

Stay tuned to www.reinhardteagles.com to find updated info on Eagles Soccer and other RU sports.