CLEVELAND, Ga. (October 29, 2024) - The No. 23 Truett McConnell University women's soccer team has just been announced as the 2024 Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular Season Co-Champions for the third consecutive year after finishing the regular season with a conference record of 12-0-1. TMU has earned their spot as the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, along with punching their seventh straight ticket to the NAIA National Championships. 

"I'm really proud of the team. We had some early bumps during August with a couple of season ending injuries to key players and tough games on the road, but I have been so impressed with how the girls responded to this difficult period," said Head Coach David McDowell. "They used the challenges as opportunities to grow and develop and rely on each other more. They focused on maintaining their high standards and the end result has been them playing superbly in every conference game." 

The Lady Bears were named co-champions with AAC top competitor Tennessee Wesleyan University as they both finished with a 12-0-1 league record. The teams tied during the regular season, but Truett McConnell earned the top seed based on goal differential. TMU finished with a +43 goal differential in conference play, while Tennessee Wesleyan ended with a +32 goal differential. The Lady Bears have earned the No. 1seed based on the total goal difference (+43 vs. +32) since the two teams tied in conference record during the regular season.  

"The senior class has been immense. Not only with their overall play but with their leadership they have shown a high level of maturity and demonstration of excellence. They are leaving this program with an overall AAC regular season record of 51-1-2 which is phenomenal."

TMU concluded the conference regular season on Wednesday, October 23, with a 4-0 shutout win over the University of Pikeville, extending their win streak to 10, while closing the regular season in full on Saturday, October 26, with a 3-0 victory over No. 20 Georgia Gwinnett College, extending their win streak to 11. The Lady Bears have recorded a total of 11 shutout wins this year, while maintaining their spot in the NAIA Top 25 rankings for the entire duration of the season. Over the last seven seasons, TMU has proven a top competitor in the NAIA and conference play as seen by a combined overall record of 115-22-7, 87-2-3 AAC. 

"We are looking forward to the conference tournament and hopefully finishing the season as best as possible."

The Lady Bears will be back in action on Saturday, November 2, as they host their first round of AAC Tournament play, inside the TMU Soccer Complex. Game time and opponent to be announced.