Men’s Soccer hands No. 14 Union its first defeat

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 25, 2023) – The Milligan University men's soccer team took down No. 14 Union 3-0 at Anglin Field on Wednesday evening.

Milligan rises to 12-2-3 on the season and to the top of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings with a 9-0-3 league record. Union suffered its first defeat of the year, falling to 13-1-2, 9-1-2. The victory marks Milligan's fourth victory over a top-15 ranked opponent in the last four seasons. Milligan's unbeaten streak now stands at 13 games.

In the first 15 minutes, Elies Simo defused a pair of potential scoring opportunities for the Bulldogs .In both instances, Simo cleared the ball away before a shot could be attempted.

Inaki Moreno had a free kick just beyond the penalty area blocked in the 27th minute with the deflection bouncing inside the six-yard box. Following a partial clearance, Simo also had his attempt blocked by the defense.

James Bakou found Clay Gallant for a leaping header to give the Buffs a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute. It gave the Buffs a 1-0 lead on Gallant's first goal of the season.

Immediately after the tally, Jett Carter stole the ball from Union, juked the keeper who was off his line, and fired a shot just over an open net. Milligan carried its 1-0 edge into the halftime break.

The Bulldogs had a bicycle kick on frame in the opening 10 minutes of the second half that Adria Alles tipped just beyond the crossbar.

Alles made a pair of point-blank saves in the 70th minute to keep the margin 1-0.

Simo hit the crossbar on a header off a Moreno corner kick in the 72nd. Greg Anderson blasted a shot of the Union keeper in the 76th.

Kai Slinn gave the Buffs some breathing room with an insurance goal in the 82nd minute. Inaki Moreno lobbed a pass forward and Slinn beat the Union keeper to the ball and poked in his third goal of the year.

Moreno put the game away with a blast into the upper left-hand corner with just over two minutes to play to bring the score to its final margin of 3-0.

Alles made a season-high eight saves in the shutout victory, quieting the Bulldogs' top-five NAIA scoring offense.

Milligan outshot Union 18-12 but the Bulldogs held an 8-6 edge in shots on goal. Both teams recorded five corner kicks.

Milligan closes its regular season schedule Saturday at Pikeveille with a chance to clinch its third AAC regular season title in the last four seasons.