CLEVELAND, Ga. - CIU men's soccer hit the road to take the pitch against Truett McConnell University on Saturday afternoon. The Rams hold a 4-5-1 all-time record against the Bears. After losing 6-2 this afternoon, CIU is now 7-3-3 overall and 5-3-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Three games remain in regular season play, with CIU sitting at No. 5 in  the conference standings. 

Match Summary: Truett came out hot, scoring their first goal two minutes in.  The Rams were awarded their own scoring attempt with a corner kick taken by Lucas Galdino, but Michael Abongo's header off this attempt went high. 

Marlon Williams picked up a defensive save on the backline; however, Truett added another goal to go up 2-0 shortly after (26:08). Romulo Barreto, Igor Eduardo, and Zion Atkinson all tallied shots, but they were unable to produce. 

The Bears supplied another goal two minutes before the half to take a 3-0 advantage. Barreto tried to get CIU on the board before the horn, but Truett's keeper blocked the veteran midfielder's shot.. 

Barreto and Bryan Molina took two quick shots into the second half, which were blocked and defensively saved. Chase Knizek saved Truett's first shot of this half, but shortly after, the Bears scored three back-to-back goals to take a 6-0 lead. 

Benedict Kartheuser's shot was saved by the Bears keeper, while Galdino's and Fernando Ferro's each had attempts that sailed wide.

Juan Ospina kept the keeper working with a shot of his own. Barreto was awarded with a corner kick, but the Rams couldn't capitalize on this scoring opportunity. Six minutes later, Marcelo Hernandez took a corner that CIU also couldn't take advantage of. 

Gabriel Rokov got the Rams on the board (75:11) off of a corner kick from Noe Limas. Atkinson doubled CIU's score with a late goal to bring the final score to 6-2. 

Up Next: CIU returns home on Wednesday, Oct. 18, to host Montreat College (N.C.) at 7 p.m