LAURINBURG, N.C. - The CIU men's soccer team took the field Tuesday evening, aiming to secure their first-ever regular-season Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship in school history. Entering the contest 14-0 overall and 10-0 in the AAC, the Rams squared off with the St. Andrews Knights, who held an 8-5-2 overall record and a 6-4-1 mark in the AAC. It would take double overtime for the Rams to best the Knights 3-2 to claim the 2021 AAC regular-season title. They improve to 15-0, and 11-0 in the conference with two more games left to play to try and cap off a historic regular season. The win also gives CIU its first-ever berth in the NAIA national tournament which will begin have its opening rounds Nov. 18-20.

Scoring Summary:
The first half was about as even a 45 minutes as you could get, with neither team able to create separation. The Rams edged the Knights in shots by one in the first and each team played in one corner kick. The half was very physical, with a combined 13 fouls called, seven for the Knights and six for the Rams. Nonetheless, neither team could capitalize on any opportunities offensively, and the game would be scoreless at the half. 

The second half saw more offensive action compared to the first half. The Rams would also take six shots in the second half and were able to find the net twice. The first would come by Romulo Barreto on a penalty kick to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage. Then, the Rams would add to their lead with a goal by Praise Kabwe on an assist from Marlon Williams. The Rams looked like they would win this one comfortably, but the Knights would answer with two goals to force overtime. The first would come from Julio Flores-Lopez with assists from Marcos De La Hoz and Jose Beltran at the 80:07 minute mark. The second would come from Pablo Diezhandino on an assist from Jose Beltran about five minutes later. The second half proved even more physical than the first, with 16 fouls called and five cards handed out.

The Rams and Knights would enter the first overtime period where neither team could find the net for the game-winner. So the game moved to a second overtime, where Sohya Yamamoto would seal it for the Rams at the 106:40 minute mark, crowning the Rams regular-season conference champions and keeping their undefeated season alive. 

What Coach Bill Brindley is saying: 
"So proud of this group. They came together tonight and yet again played with huge hearts to grind out a gusty win. This is a special group that I don't believe is finished."

What's Next: 
The Rams will next face off with Bryan College (Tenn.) for senior day at Sessions field on Saturday, Oct. 30. Kick-off is set for noon.