WALESKA, Ga. – Milligan University's men's soccer squad opened the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament on Tuesday afternoon, as the No. 6 seed Buffs traveled to Waleska, Ga., to face the No. 3 seed Reinhardt University Eagles for the second time in a four-day span. With a spot in the semifinal round on the line, neither side found the net in the opening 45 minutes. The Buffs struck first in the second half, but the Eagles answered late to send the game to golden goal overtime.
Marcelo Marotta scored less than two minutes into the extra period to give Milligan a 2-1 upset win and send the Buffs to the semifinals.
The first half was largely a feeling-out process for both sides, as the first shot of the game did not come until Reinhardt's attempt in the 37th minute. That first attempt was a threatening one, testing Milligan keeper
Sergi Cruz. However, Cruz came down with the save to keep the game scoreless. The Eagles held the advantage in possession, earning three corner kicks while the Buffs did not register a corner or a shot in the opening half.
The pace picked up in the second half as both sides looked to advance in postseason play.
Javier Salgado took aim for the first time for Milligan in the 49th minute and capitalized, giving the Buffs a 1-0 lead.
Freddie Zinn set up the play and was credited with the assist. Less than a minute later,
Ilija Dordevic tried to double the lead, but his shot sailed wide. The Buffs held the momentum, earning a corner kick and putting two shots on target over the next 10 minutes. However, the Eagles began to apply pressure of their own in the 63rd minute with back-to-back shot attempts, the first of which was blocked by a Milligan defender, before testing Cruz for the second time in the 66th minute. The pressure paid off in the 81st minute, as the Eagles found the equalizer with less than 10 minutes to play.
In a win-or-go-home scenario, Milligan created threatening chances to end the game in regulation, but Dordevic had one attempt blocked and another sail high in the closing minutes, sending the game to overtime. It did not take long for the Buffs to find the winner. Dordevic nearly ended it a minute into the period, but his shot was stopped by an Eagles defender. Just 20 seconds later, at the 1:39 mark of golden goal overtime, Marotta sent a strike past the Eagles keeper to send Milligan to the next round. With the 2-1 victory, the Buffs avenged Saturday evening's loss.
Reinhardt held a 10-7 edge in shots, while Milligan put four shots on goal to the Eagles' three. Reinhardt also owned a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks. Dordevic led the Buffs with four shots, one of which was on target. Salgado and Marotta each found the back of the net on their lone shot of the night, while Zinn added a shot on goal to go along with his assist on Salgado's opener.
Cruz went the distance in goal, playing all 91:39 and making two saves to send the Buffs to the semifinals.
With the win, Milligan (11-5-3, 5-5-2 AAC) advances to face the No. 2 seed Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs, who defeated Spartanburg Methodist College in the quarterfinals. The Buffs will look to turn the tables on the Bulldogs, who handed Milligan a 5-0 loss on Oct. 24. The semifinal will be played on Union Commonwealth's campus on Saturday, Nov. 7, with kickoff time to be announced.
