Men's Soccer Knocked Out of Rhythm in AAC Championship Game

MILLIGAN, Tenn.- It was championship Saturday for the men's soccer team. With their past two wins in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament, the team advanced to the championship game of the tournament. The game took place on the field of the No. 1 seed in the tournament, the Milligan University Buffaloes. 

TWU dominated the offense portion of the game early, with shots by Wynand Wessels and Dave Neijenhuis missing the mark for the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, the first goal of the game went to Milligan in the 17th minute. Tennessee Wesleyan could not find the equalizer in the first half, going into halftime still trailing by one goal.

Wessels found a chance at tying the game early in the second half but his shot was blocked. Sifisco Ngwenya had his header shot saved by the opposing keeper on their next offensive attempt on goal. Before the team could find a game-tying goal, Milligan scored a second goal to take a 2-0 lead. The game grew worse as the opponents scored a third goal five minutes later. The team was unable to come back and went on to fall by a final score of 4-0.

Since they were able to advance to the championship game, the Bulldogs (11-4-5) earned the AAC's second automatic bid to the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament. The team will find its opening round location on Monday with the first game set to be played on Thursday.