CLEVELAND, Ga. (November 2, 2024) - The No. 1 seed Truett McConnell University women's soccer team hosted the semifinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday, where the Lady Bears punched their ticket to the championship game after taking down No. 4 seed Milligan University with a final score of 5-0. 

"Really strong performance from the girls tonight," said Head Coach David McDowell. "They had to work hard to break down a disciplined and well organized Milligan team. We had five different goal scorers tonight and that is indicative of the overall team performance. Everyone played very well and gave a fantastic effort."

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The first half saw TMU with an early lead after Linsey Fowler sent Erin Ward on the right path to hit the board in the 22nd minute of play (1-0). Quick action from Annabel Trauschke in the 36 minute put TMU up by two after perfect sequence from Kendra Wilbert and Eliska Dvorakova, entering halftime with the advantage (2-0). Ashley Johnson wasted no time in the second half with her first goal of the game, assisted by Dvorakova, while Dvorakova recorded a goal of her won in the 56th minute, assited by Ruffa Meger. Isabelle Hodson proved the Lady Bears final scorer as a long ball off the foot of Trauschke offered Hodson the opportunity needed to find the back of the net (5-0). 

LEADERS
Most notable, TMU outshot the Buffs 26-4, with 18 shots on goal. Dvorakova led the way with one goal, two assists and five shots. Johnson followed with one goal and three shots, while Wrd had one goal and two shots. Trauschke and Hodson recorded one goal apiece, while Wilbert, Fowler and Meger tallied one assist apiece. 

"The girls are playing with a lot of belief and togetherness at the moment. We are excited to go back to another conference championship and look forward to playing Saturday."

UP NEXT 
The No. 1 Lady Bears host No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan University in the AAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 9, with game time TBA.