CLEVELAND, Ga. – Truett McConnell University men's soccer (13-2-2 overall, 11-1-0 AAC) prepares for their second meeting with the University of Pikeville Bears (7-7-4 overall, 5-5-2 AAC) in 2026 at the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament semifinals on Saturday.
 
Truett McConnell secured a 2-1 road win over Pikeville in their last meeting in October and now get a chance to play host to the Bears as the #1 seed in the AAC. Jovica Lazarevic and Yannick Niyibigira both score in last month's battle of the Bears. The senior-freshman duo also provided a goal each in TMU's most recent contest in the AAC tournament quarterfinals.
 
Pikeville travel south after a thrilling AAC quarterfinal victory over the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs in a match where a penalty kick shootout was required in order to decide a winner. The Pikeville Bears are featured as the #5 seed in the tournament after a regular season campaign of five wins, five losses and two ties, with notable results over Spartanburg Methodist (2-0) and Milligan (2-1). Dylan Roberts leads the offense with 10 goals and three assists including the pass that led to Pikeville's only goal in the quarterfinals.
 
Truett McConnell is back on a four-game win streak after a 2-1 result over Columbia International powered by Niyibigira's third game-winning goal of the season. All three of his scores in 2026 have served as the deciding factors in their matches. Sophomore keeper Jakob Hendrickson enters Saturday after another performance with an .800% save percentage or higher, as his season average now sits at .821%.
 
First whistle at the TMU Soccer Complex is set for 3:00 p.m.