ATHENS, Tenn. (November 9, 2024) – On Saturday, the No. 4 seed Truett McConnell University men's soccer team traveled to compete in the championship round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, where the Bears fell in a heartbreaking loss to the No. 3 seed Bryan College, 2-1. TMU concludes tournament play with an overall record of 11-5-3, 8-3-1 AAC, closing their historical season at the AAC Tournament as runners-up after making their first appearance in the championship final since 2017. Most notable, Oscar Brennan, Hendrik Metje and Pablo Farrona were all named to the AAC All-Tournament Team.
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Both teams remained evenly matched in the first half, leaving little room for error on both sides of the playing field. An early shot by the Lions missed just high, while Farrona responded with a shot on goal to try and put the Bears on the board. A great shot by Marco Mandelka in the final minute of first half regulation gave TMU hope at securing the first goal of the game but was unable to find the back of the net as both teams entered the half even at 0-0. In the second half, BC quickly went to work scoring back-to-back goals in the 54^th and 63^rd minutes (2-0). TMU did not give up hope, working together to find their place on the board when a good ball by Brennan found its way into the net, 2-1. The Bears gave it their all, taking four more shots at the goal, but ultimately could not connect on the board, falling to a heartbreaking loss, 2-1. 
 
LEADERS
Brennan led the way for the Bears with one goal and three shots, all on goal. Farrona followed with five shots, four on goal, while Jez Walker-Paterson and Jose Ventura recorded two shots a piece.
 
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