MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University's men's soccer team played its final regular-season contest of the 2026 campaign on Saturday afternoon, as the Buffs hosted Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) foe Reinhardt University in a match that was rescheduled earlier in the year because of inclement weather. After a feeling-out process from both sides in the first half, the Eagles scored twice after the break to defeat the Buffs 2-0.
Milligan had the better opportunities early, taking the first three shots of the match. However, all three attempts were blocked by Reinhardt defenders. Milligan keeper
Sergi Cruz was tested in the 11th and 15th minutes by headers that forced saves. The Buffs controlled possession for most of the half after that, and
Ilija Dordevic put Milligan's first shot on frame in the 21st minute. Dordevic's brilliant strike was headed for the top of the net, but the Eagles' keeper got his fingertips on the ball just in time to send it over the crossbar. From there, neither side was able to create a real threat, and the match went into halftime scoreless.
After the intermission, Reinhardt began to apply pressure, and in the 57th minute that pressure resulted in the game's first goal. A free kick from near the Eagles' own box made its way all the way downfield, setting up a one-on-one chance against Cruz that Reinhardt converted. Milligan searched for the equalizer, as an attempt from
Joshua Beckles sailed wide and a
Louis Folly-Castay shot was saved. In the 83rd minute, a Milligan turnover led to another one-on-one opportunity against Cruz, and the Eagles capitalized to double their lead to 2-0. Despite late pressure from MU, Reinhardt held on to capture the road victory.
Milligan outshot Reinhardt 23-7 and held a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, while also owning a 9-6 advantage in corner kicks. The Buffs turned up the pressure after the break, firing 15 of their 23 shots in the second half. Dordevic,
Felipe Magalhães,
Trotter Jones and Folly-Castay each led the way with three shots, with Dordevic and Folly-Castay each putting one on frame.
Connor Mast,
Drew Shelton and
Marcelo Marotta added two shots apiece, and each of the three put one on goal.
Luiz Pereira,
Grayson Hammond,
Freddie Zinn,
Zak Kersey and Beckles rounded out the attack with one shot each.
Cruz went the full 90 minutes in goal and made two saves.
Next up, Milligan (10-5-3, 5-5-2 AAC) will head to the AAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed and will travel to Waleska, Ga., for a first-round rematch with No. 3 seed Reinhardt on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Kickoff time is to be announced.
Â
