Lions Lose to Tennessee Wesleyan 2-1

October 16, 2019

ATHENS, Tenn. – Nearly 70 minutes of scoreless soccer was played Wednesday afternoon in an Appalachian Athletic Conference rivalry matchup between Bryan women’s soccer and Tennessee Wesleyan University. The Lions made the short trip to the Bulldogs’ campus and managed a close call with the second-place team in the AAC. Tennessee Wesleyan entered the match on a seven-game winning streak and was able to increase it to eight following the bout with Bryan, but it wouldn’t come easy. In the 76th-minute, the Bulldogs broke the silence with the first goal of the game off a successful penalty kick, but the Lions’ scoring-leader Makena Giles wasted no time with the equalizer notched at the 83-minute mark. With less than 30 seconds to play in regulation, Bryan met an unfortunate ending when the home team was able to avoid overtime and bury the game-winner to claim the narrow 2-1 victory.

With the loss, the Lions still own a respectable 8-7 overall record and 7-3 mark in AAC play. The Bulldogs were able to climb to 12-2 overall and 9-2 in the conference.

Despite the last-second finish, Tennessee Wesleyan was on the attack often, outshooting Bryan 26-6 and landed 12 looks on target compared to the Lions’ three. Caragan Treola turned in a strong performance between the posts for Bryan, corralling 10 saves and allowing just two goals. In the first half, Tennessee Wesleyan compiled 11 shots, but Treola and Bryan’s backline held the relentless Bulldogs scoreless.

As the latter period progressed, the heat was cranked up by both sides. Finally, at 76:39, Tennessee Wesleyan caught a break when Bryan was called for a foul in the box. The Bulldogs took full advantage of the penalty kick to snag a 1-0 lead. In the final 10 minutes, the Lions applied pressure, beginning with a shot that sailed wide by Arielle Hansford at 82:13. Bryan regained possession, and it was Giles who netted her 11th goal on the year to tie the count 1-1. Both teams were in search of the dagger, and efforts by Jessica Chaveiro and Treola kept play even after a series of attempts created by Tennessee Wesleyan. In the final minute, the Bulldogs had one more opportunity, and that was all they needed. At 89:34, Tennessee Wesleyan’s Chloe Rootes threaded a pass to Helene Lium Nyhus for the game-winning goal, putting the Bulldogs on top in the 2-1 nail-biter.

Giles and Hansford led the Lions in the shot’s column with two apiece, followed by both Anna Sanders and Mya Patel with one shot, respectively.

Bryan looks to bounce back this weekend when they play host to Bluefield College (Va.) for the final regular-season home match of their 2019 campaign. The Lions and Rams are set to face-off at 12pm on Saturday, Oct. 19. Bluefield is currently 1-11-1 overall and 1-9-0 in the AAC.

To view the full 2019 women's soccer schedule, click here.Keep up with Bryan College Lions Women's Soccer on Twitter @bc_wmnssoccer and Instagram @bc_womenssoccer