By: Scotty Grigsby

Date: September 25th 
Location: Bluefield, VA 
Kickoff: 7:00 PM 

Scoring Summary: 
58th - BC Abel Bogale
62nd - CIU Romulo Barreto 
73rd - Leo Garcia 

How it happened: 

CIU men's soccer battled Bluefield College on Wednesday night. While the Rams dominated the game both on the stat sheet and on film, they were unable to secure a win. 

The Rams would begin the game with explosive intensity. CIU forwards flew to the ball and immediately started creating chances. However, Rams forwards were unable to convert these opportunities into points. In the first half, CIU tallied 14 shots from 6 different Rams to Bluefields 4. CIU would lead in shots and time of possession going into the second half, but the game would remain scoreless at 0-0. 

The Rams would continue to dominate the their opponent in the second half. However, Bluefield defense would again rally and hold off the Ram forwards. The game remained scoreless until a 56th-minute goal from  Bluefield forward Abel Bogale. CIU would answer with a strike from forward Romulo Barreto. The NCCAA All American dribbled to the top of the box and sent a screamer to the right side of the net. Both teams battled to gain an edge over the other in the following minutes. Bluefield converted a goal in the 73rd minute to give them a 2-1 lead. CIU looked to draw even with Bluefield in the final minutes , but were unable to complete the comeback. CIU would fall short, 2-1 to Bluefield. 

The Rams look ahead to their next match this Saturday against Tennessee Wesleyan University at 5:00 PM.