LEBANON, Tenn. (Aug. 29, 2016) â€" Milligan College men's soccer traveled to No.19 ranked Cumberland University on Monday for its second game of the season. The Buffaloes appeared to be up to the challenge and led early, but struggled in the second half, leading to a 6-3 loss to the Phoenix.

Milligan (0-2-0, 0-0-0 AAC) started the game off strong, racing out to a 2-0 lead. Ryan Reilly scored his second goal of the season the same way he scored his first, with a penalty kick. Less than two minutes later, Zana Ali scored his first goal of the season off of an assist from Luis de la Torre.

"For 20 to 25 minutes, we played well and proved we can contend with any team in the country," Head Coach Adam Laney said. "We just need to be able to put that together for a full game."

Cumberland responded with its first goal of the day from Marty Owens, cutting Milligan's lead in half.

The Buffaloes regained their two-goal lead when one of Cumberland's players knocked it into Milligan's goal.

The Phoenix quickly recovered and responded with two goals in the span of three minutes to erase Milligan's lead. The game stayed tied at three going into the half.
Cumberland built on its momentum in the second half and shut out the Buffaloes 3-0 in the last 45 minutes.

Milligan had its opportunities, with 10 shots on goal compared to nine for Cumberland, but a solid defensive effort from Phoenix goalkeeper Bennet Strutz shut down the Buffaloes in the second half.

The Buffaloes return home on Thursday to take on Tusculum College. After that, Milligan hits the road for four games before returning back home.