by Tim Bali, Triangle staff writer
This Monday, after a weeklong delay, the Bryan Lions faced the Milligan (Tenn.) College Buffalo in their second conference soccer game of the season. Milligan won the game 1-0 after scoring the only goal during the second half.
The game took place on Monday evening rather than on Sept. 21 because heavy rains kept the field unusable last week. One advantage of the rain delay was the time it provided for two injured Lions’ players to recover, said Head Coach Sandy Zensen.
However, besides this advantage, the rain also caused multiple disadvantages for the Lions. Zensen said that because of the rain the team often practiced indoors at the gym rather than on the practice playing fields.
Also, because of the delay, the Lions have little time to rest and practice before they play Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens, Tenn.) on Sept. 30.
The Lions and the Buffaloes kept the game close, neither team letting the other score during the first half. With 35 minutes left in the game, Milligan scored the sole goal of the game.
The Lions made several attempts to even the score. The players created enough opportunities to win the game, Zensen said, but they did not convert the opportunities into scores. At one point, the Lions missed an open net, he said.
The Bryan fans cheered each of the Lions’ offensive possessions. During the last five minutes of the game, the Lions made several attempts at the Milligan goal but came up empty-handed.
With their loss to Milligan, the Lions are fourth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference standings at 1-1, while Milligan is in sole possession of first place at 3-0, according to Zensen.