Eagles Face Setback in AAC Home Opener Against Milligan

Waleska, GA - In a challenging AAC matchup held on Saturday evening at Ken White Field, Reinhardt Men's Soccer was defeated by the Milligan Buffaloes, 2-0.  Milligan was able to score one goal in each half without a response from the Eagles. Reinhardt had some chances on goal, but Milligan's keeper had a few fantastic saves, which secured the road win for the Buffaloes.

Throughout the first half, both teams demonstrated strong defensive skills, but Milligan managed to break the deadlock at 29:20 with a goal by Kerim Akpinar, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. Despite the Eagles' efforts, they were unable to equalize in the first half. Reinhardt's goalkeeper, Andree Meza, showcased commendable skills despite the challenges. He finished the game with three saves from five shots on target.

As the match proceeded into the second half, the Eagles continued to search for opportunities to level the score. Winger John Simmons was a spark coming off the bench for the Eagles. He had a few chances for Reinhardt that just narrowly missed hitting the back of the net.  Simmons is the leading goal scorer for Reinhardt despite not being able to net a goal in the game. Forward Evan DeYou joined Simmons up front in the first half, which also added several attacks that came up empty.

Milligan reinforced their lead at 84:30 when Justin Madejski scored their second goal, assisted by Federico Confaloni. This solidified the Buffaloes' dominance in the match. The Buffaloes' attack was continuous the entire game, but the backline of Cristian Gonzalez, Evan Greenberg, Connor O'Brien, and Christian Hogg held things close, giving the Eagles a chance to equalize the game. Offensively, those chances would not happen despite several close-range shots directly in front of Milligan's goal.  O'Brien had two great back-to-back headers off a corner kick from Simmons, which the Buffaloes' kicker punched away twice. It was that kind of night for the Eagles when there seemed to be a shield over the goal.

Looking ahead, Reinhardt will hit the road on Wednesday to play against Spartanburg Methodist. This is the Pioneers' first season competing in the AAC, so the Eagles will need to take advantage and get an AAC win streak going to make sure they stay in the upper half of the conference standings.