COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's soccer took a step out of conference play for a contest with West Virginia University-Tech out of the River States Conference. CIU looked to capture a big home win versus the Bears, who received votes in the latest edition of the NAIA Top 25 rankings. The contest was a back-and-forth affair that resulted in a 1-1 draw, moving the Rams to 3-1-2 on the season. 

Scoring Summary: 
After tightly contested opening minutes of action, the Bears got on the board first with a goal in the 16th minute by Endjick Albert to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Rams would quickly answer as Daniel Ospina found the net a minute later on an assist from Praise Kabwe to even the score. After a few scoring opportunities later in the period, neither team was able to edge ahead of the other, resulting in a 1-1 score at the break. 

More opportunities would come for both teams in the second half, but the ball never found the net. The match-up became more physical as the game continued, with 28 fouls called and three yellow cards given out. Each team ended with eight shots, but none more would result in goals as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. 

What Coach Bill Brindley is saying: 
"Proud of the effort that our guys showed tonight. Glad to see us be able to compete with a quality non-conference opponent on our home field. Ready to get back to work in preparation for TMU on Saturday."

Up Next: 
CIU will be back at Sessions Field Saturday as they take on Truett McConnell (Ga.) at 2:30 PM.