ATLANTA — The Truett McConnell men's soccer team traveled to Atlanta to take on a NCAA Division III opponent Oglethorpe University and came away with an impressive 2-0 victory.
Coming into the match both teams were undefeated and the Stormy Petrels were just ranked twelfth in the latest NCAA Division III national poll.
In the first half, the Bears had more of the scoring chances by dominating possession in their offensive half, while Oglethorpe tried to play conservative defense and attempted to capitalize on possible counterattacks. The possession would pay off for the Bears, leading to a goal off the head of Joao Costa from an assist by Jacob Sharp in the seventeenth minute. The Bears would take their 1-0 lead into the half.
The second half started with a similar feel to the first half, Bears retaining the majority of possession with Oglethorpe trying to fend off the attacks. The persistence of the Bears would pay off, resulting in a goal off a free kick by Joao Costa in the fifty-ninth minute. This goal would spike urgency in Oglethorpe's squad. Nevertheless, the Petrels remained scoreless, and the match ended with the Bears defeating the Stormy Petrels 2-0.
"Good result against another nationally ranked program in Oglethorpe," said Coach Rob Miller after the match. He went on to point our improvement the team needs to make as it enters conference play, but he was otherwise pleased with his team's performance, especially in how they made adjustments in the second half of the match. "Now we prepare for a very tough game against unbeaten side Bluefield. Looking forward to the game and preparing for that!" The Bears take on the Rams of Bluefield College in Bluefield, VA Saturday September, 16 at 2:30pm.
