COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's soccer took the pitch for the final time in the regular season against Bluefield (Va.) on Tuesday afternoon. The battle between the Rams was important for CIU in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament seeding. With a win, CIU would earn the second seed in this year's tournament, allowing them to host each match until the championship. CIU men's soccer took care of business against Bluefield with an imposing 5-1 win. 

Scoring Summary: 
The Rams saw scoring from several different players in Tuesday afternoon's contest. Lucas Galdino got things going for the Rams scoring in the 14' minute on an assist from Sonny Quintanilla. Despite a 9-2 shooting lead in the first half, CIU was unable to add to their advantage in the first frame. 

CIU's offense exploded in the second period, with four goals scored by three different players. Fabio Bender notched his first of two scores in the 46' minute on an assist from Michael Abongo.

After a Bluefield goal in the 50' minute to cut their deficit in half, CIU would strike just under two minutes of play later as Bender added another brace to his season total, assisted again on by Abongo. 

Later in the period, Sohya Yamamoto and Trevor Howard would find the back of the net, as CIU went on the win their final regular season contest, 5-1. 

What Coach Bill Brindley is saying: 
"Glad to get the win today, even with an irregular environment for a home match. I thought we got a lot of good minutes from several different players. We now turn our focus to a tough St. Andrews team on Friday." 

Up Next: 
CIU will host No 7. seed St. Andrew University (N.C.) to open the AAC Tournament on Friday, Nov. 4 at 4 PM.