CLEVELAND, Ga. - CIU men's soccer continued its best start in program history Saturday night as they took down Truett McConnell (Ga.) 2-1 in double overtime. The win gives the Rams a 7-0 record and a 3-0 record in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). The win also gives CIU two more wins than they had in the entire 2020 season, and they have now won two in a row versus the Bears.

Rafael Carneiro would get the scoring going for CIU as the senior finished off a corner kick from his teammate and fellow Brazilian native Romulo Barreto. Both teams stayed quiet until midway through the contest when Truett McConnell's Callum Smith evened the match at 1-1 after finding the back of the net. The Rams and Bears battled to a stalemate at the end of regulation and then once again found themselves deadlocked at the end of the first overtime. The Rams then turned back to Carneiro to put away the Bears in the second overtime as the veteran leader came up clutch, scoring on a header set up by a Barreto free-kick to give CIU the 2-1 win. 

Barreto tallied seven shots and two assists on the evening as the Rams had 26 shots compared to just ten from the Bears. 

What Coach Bill Brindley is saying: We showed a lot of grit and toughness tonight to grind out a difficult road win. I am proud of what the guys have accomplished to this point but we still have a lot of work ahead of us starting with our game against Montreat this coming week. 

Up Next: CIU will be back in action Wednesday, Sept. 29, as they put their unblemished record on the line against Montreat (N.C.).