CLEVELAND, GA (TMSports) - The Truett-McConnell women's soccer team hosted the Bluefield Rams on Sunday, September 28th in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match-up. The Lady Bears came out on fire and immediately took control at the start of the game. The Bears maintained possession and moved the ball around during the opening minutes, creating several chances. 

In the 11th minute, senior Meagan Taylor took a free kick and found freshmen Katey Griggs inside the box. The aggressive shot by Griggs was deflected by the Rams keeper, but a scramble in the box allowed sophomore Bianca Clark to find the back of the net and raise the score to 1-0. Following the goal, both teams battled for the rest of the half, but the Lady Bears defense held strong as the Rams were unable to score.

The Lady Bears came roaring out of the gate to start the second half, leading to an almost immediate goal from freshmen Caylin Carter. Carter drove the ball up the length of the field to take her shot, only to be saved by the Rams keeper. The Bears continued to put pressure on the Bluefield backline as the attacking three of Clark, Taylor, and Carter created several dynamic runs that led to goal-scoring opportunities.

Towards the end of the second half, Bluefield began to put pressure onto the Lady Bears defense. The Rams forced the Bears backline and goalkeeper into a bit of action in the last minutes, but the Bears held strong against their offensive attack and finished the match with a 1-0 victory and their second consecutive shutout. 

Head Coach David McDowell said, "We knew it would be a tricky game today as Bluefield worked hard and stayed organized for the majority of the game. We struggled to get the second goal that would have killed off the game and because of that we made it a bit tough on ourselves as Bluefield pushed for a goal in the last 10 minutes, and we had to fight a bit harder to secure the win than what we probably needed to do. However, the girls showed great determination and concentration to come away with another good conference win, and we will look to continue to improve on this result."

The Lady Bears recorded 14 shots against Bluefield, with 6 on target. Bluefield was restricted to only 3 total shots with 2 on target, both of which were saved by goalkeeper Anna Scogin. The women's soccer team is currently 5-2-2 on the season, and 3-0 in conference play. They will face their next AAC opponents on Wednesday, October 1st when they visit Columbia College, and on Saturday, October 4th when they host Union College.