GRAYSON, Ky. - CIU men's soccer took a trip north to open Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play against Kentucky Christian University. The Rams have never suffered a loss against the Knights, and they kept this streak going with an 8-0 win Tuesday night. CIU is now on a three-game win streak and opened up conference with a win. 

Scoring Summary: Juan Jimenez quickly put the Rams on the board with the help of Mariano Calderon (4:33). Less than five minutes later, Bryan Molina scored off an assist from Lucas Galdino. The Rams only allowed two shots from the Knights before extending the lead 3-0 thanks to a goal from Andrew King, assisted by Marco Mühlebach (37:59). Deciding to join in the action, Mühlebach added a goal of his own one minute later. CIU wasn't done, however, adding another goal from Gabriel Rokov to lead 5-0 at the half. 

Both teams were quiet until 25 minutes into the second half when Romulo Barreto scored his fifth goal of the season off of a penalty kick. Mühlebach scored his second goal of the night ten minutes later (85:41) to extend the Rams' lead to 7-0. Florian Baumgaertner, assisted by Jimenez, closed out the game, scoring 35 seconds before the buzzer to win 8-0.  

CIU outshot the Knights 21-6, with Mühlebach leading with four and King with three. Molina, Barreto, and Sohya Yamamoto took two, and Chase Knizek picked up a save in goal. 

What Coach Bill Brindley is saying: "This is a really exciting way to start conference play. Many different people stepped up and took advantage of the opportunities given. This was a true team win, and I am excited to get back on the pitch this weekend." 

Up Next: CIU remains on the road as they head to Bluefield University (Va.) on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 4:00 PM.