Eagles Edged Out of Postseason with Union Loss

Waleska, GA -  The game against Union was a grand summation of the season for Reinhardt. They had two alternatives: to win and possibly reclaim a playoff spot or lose and miss out on playoffs by a single game.

From the first minute, the Eagles embodied the fiery passion of their head coach as they scraped and clawed at every 50/50 ball and ended up having the majority of the possession against a top-25 team. The highlight was Weyman Mabuya's hold-up play, as every pass that came to him seemed to glue to his foot. In the 32nd minute, Evan Deyou almost scored from a beautiful pass from John Simmons. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Bulldogs would steal one against the run of play before the end of the half. They would double their lead before the halftime whistle off of a deflection in the back.

The second half wouldn't be much different. Union was just more clinical and for every chance Reinhardt missed, Union would score. Twenty minutes into the half, Reinhardt was down by four goals. Things weren't looking great for the Eagles, but there were little moments of hope, as there had been all season, such as Weyman Mabuya's chance off of a great run from John Simmons, but it was deflected on its way in.

As the coals cool on the season, it would be much too easy to call it a disappointment, but Reinhardt does not live in easily. Instead, we choose to look back on this season in the same way history will, as a season in which the youngest first team by class in Reinhardt's history learned humility. They learned that victory isn't assured at practice or by technique but by the willingness to let go of the 'I' and embrace the 'us.' Those who learn that lesson will taste playoffs before they know it, maybe even win a few championships. Those that don't will be absolved into 'just another name' in the grand amalgamation of students who have represented Reinhardt Soccer. It's up to each individual player what decision they want to make going forward. Let's go Eagles!