By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
DAYTON, Tenn. - A hard-fought Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) battle went the way of the home team tonight, as Bryan (Tenn.) held off Reinhardt in a 1-0 clash on the pitch Wednesday night.
The narrow defeat drops the Eagles (5-5-1) to 4-2-1 inside the AAC.
"Difficult loss tonight on the road against a respected opponent," lead Eagle Joey Johnson said. "We must turn the page tomorrow and begin to focus on another important AAC road challenge awaiting us on Saturday."
Both teams left it all out on the field in this league matchup, as the Lions made the only noise on the scoreboard with a fifth-minute goal in what proved-to-be the winning tally.
Reinhardt tried its best to get the match tied up but couldn't quite get the job done. The team had five shots - one on-goal - with its last gasps coming in the final minutes. Both Aaron Whitten and Leonardo Fagioli (two total shots) had attempts go wide with around eight minutes remaining on the clock.
The Eagles wouldn't register another attempt.
Both clubs played stellar defense throughout the outing and Niko Tzevelekos made five saves.
The Cavaliers of Montreat (N.C.) welcome Reinhardt on Saturday afternoon for a conference clash beginning at 4 p.m.
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