Men’s soccer captures AAC title

ATHENS, Tenn. (March 18, 2021) – Two of the top teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference collided Thursday afternoon with the AAC regular-season title on the line, and the Milligan University men's soccer team came out on top of a 2-1 decision over Tennessee Wesleyan to claim the crown.

This marked the first time the Buffs won the AAC since earning it back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. The Buffs earned co-champion of the league with a record of 10-1 (9-1 AAC), having won their last five games, including a win over fellow co-champion Reinhardt (9-1 AAC).

Buffs rally back from early hole

Tennessee Wesleyan (9-3, 8-2 AAC) entered the day with the same AAC record as Milligan and looked well on its way to victory with a goal just 18 minutes in. However, the Buffs responded quickly with Luke Bennett equalizing less than six minutes later when senior Raphael Sefriou's free kick found Bennett for the finish.

Albert Montragull later was on the assisting end of Milligan's second goal, the eventual winner. Charlie Betts scored it for his third goal of the season, sending Milligan ahead 2-1 in the 67th minute.

Tennessee Wesleyan was not without its chances over the last 23 minutes of play. The Bulldogs tallied three corner kicks and three shots in the final 23 minutes, one shot missing wide on a great scoring chance in the final minute.

In all, Milligan outshot Tennessee Wesleyan 12-8, while both teams took three shots on goal. Goalkeeper Jan Kuepper made two saves.

On the season | AAC titles

Milligan tallied its fifth straight win, the last four of which were decided by a single goal. In the last two, Milligan trailed early before responding with an equalizer in the first half and winner in the second half.

The Buffaloes have given up only four goals in the last five games, and Saturday marked the eighth time this season they conceded no more than one goal.

Milligan's most recent nonconference game came in the form of an upset of No. 14 West Virginia Tech, 3-2. It helped the Buffs enter the receiving votes category of the latest NAIA coaches' top-25 poll, two spots away from No. 25.

Since the formation of the AAC in 2000, Milligan has now won the men's soccer title five times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2020). Head Coach David Lilly, who earned NAIA All-American honorable mention in 2006 and earned AAC Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006, was a prominent member of the team during its 2006 AAC regular-season and tournament titles, NAIA Region XII title and NAIA national championship appearance.

Up next

With the title, Milligan will be the No. 1 seed with home field advantage in the upcoming AAC tournament. The tournament is set to include the top four teams, with the semifinal round matches to be played between March 29-31 and the championship match to be played between April 5-7.