Men's soccer dances into semi-finals

-Senior Gabe Hillman races to beat a Tennessee Wesleyan University player in capturing the ball.

-Photo by Andrew Stauffer

 The Milligan men’s soccer team was dancing on the field after beating Tennessee Wesleyan University 1-0, advancing to the semi-finals of the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

“Tonight, we didn’t play as well as I would like,” said head coach Marty Shirley. “In the second half, we came out as a different team.”

After coming off of a disappointing home loss to Covenant College (Ga.) last week, Milligan was prepared to defend their home field.

The game opened up with a yellow card given to Tennessee Wesleyan senior Daniel Cardenas in the first minute. Milligan experienced a rush of excitement, followed by a letdown, when senior Alex Kimani had a shot on goal in the seventh minute that barely missed and hit the top of the goal post. With the exception of two other yellow cards given out to Tennessee Wesleyan and Milligan in the 32^nd minute and the 34^th minute respectively, the half remained uneventful.

Both teams struggled to maintain control on the field that was saturated with water after days of rain. As players ran across the field, they slid through the water and mud, leaving control of the ball up for grabs. Neither team was able to take advantage of the loose ball as command of the ball bounced back between teams without any goals.

Senior Gabe Hillman helped bolster the Buffs during the first half by sprinting across the field, diving to save the ball and catching a couple barely missed shots on goal.

“Earlier in the season, it would have hurt (to slide on the field),” said Gillman who tore his right ACL last season.

At the end of the half, both teams remained scoreless.

“Come on guys, we want this game,” yelled the Buffs as they entered the field for the second half of the game. And want it they did. Milligan came back revived and ready to win against the Bulldogs.

“(In the second half) we stepped it up a bit and played more like we can,” said Shirley.

The Buffs spent most of the second half on the offensive side of the field, dominating the play with nine shots on goal. Nevertheless, it was disappointing for Milligan as shot after shot was blocked by Tennessee Wesleyan.

The Buffs finally captured a goal in the 62^nd minute when Hillman shot it in.

“When playoff time comes, your upperclassmen step up,” said Shirley. “(Hillman) has been working really hard. He’s been patient all year. He played beautifully tonight and had the game of his life.”

“My motivation is definitely to keep (the team) in (the tournament),” said Hillman. “As a team, we are looking to move on.”

In the last seven minutes, the Bulldogs offense picked back up as they struggled to get back into the game and score. Milligan’s goalie sophomore Jordan Fode held their attempts off, winning a shut out. 

Before exiting the field, the Buffs danced and sang a cheer in Swahili, led by senior Ali Mohamed of Nairobi, Kenya.

With the win, Milligan advances to play King College (Tenn.) in the AAC semi-finals on Friday at Lookout Mountain, Ga.

“King came in second in the conference and we came in third,” said Shirley. “So we are really the underdog coming into the game. We look forward to an exciting match.”