Truett McConnell, Tennessee Wesleyan Advance to Women’s Soccer Championship With Shutouts
| 1H | 2H | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIK | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TRU | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1H | 2H | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRE | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEN | 1 | 3 | 4 |
WALESKA, Ga. - No. 1 seed Truett McConnell and No. 3 seed Tennessee Wesleyan advanced to the championship of the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women’s Soccer Tournament with 3-0 and 4-0 semifinal victories, respectively, Saturday, Nov. 7.
In the first semifinal, Truett McConnell (17-1-1) defeated No. 4 seed Pikeville (KY) (9-8-3) at TMU Soccer Complex in Cleveland, Ga. Isabella Hodson opened the scoring with a penalty kick at 31:24. Goalkeeper Noa del Rio made three first-half saves, stopping shots by Sadie Bourgeois, Sara Ritter and Hailey Hudgens to help the hosts take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Pikeville threatened to equalize early in the second half, but Morgan Morreale made a defensive save on Charlene Lofqvist’s shot at 50:15. Claire Cress then stopped two shots by Peyton Brooks at 55:35 and 55:50 to keep Pikeville within one goal. Hodson converted a second penalty kick at 58:19, raising the season total to 14 goals, before Meg Labarbera scored unassisted at 77:39 to complete the scoring.
Truett McConnell finished with an 18-9 advantage in shots and a 10-4 edge in shots on goal. Brooks put three of four attempts on target, while Ritter led Pikeville with four shots. Del Rio finished the shutout with three saves. Cress made five saves for Pikeville, and substitute goalkeeper Allyson Gonzalez added two without allowing a goal over the final 10:39.
In the second semifinal, Tennessee Wesleyan (11-3-3) used four different scorers to defeat No. 7 seed Brenau (GA) (8-4-6) at TWU Athletic Complex in Athens, Tenn. Iara Tello scored from Servane Veyrac’s assist at 6:38 for the only goal of the first half. Brenau goalkeeper Izzy Martinez kept the deficit at one by stopping Tello’s shots seven seconds apart at 19:05 and 19:12. Julie Gopal hit the crossbar at 34:58.
Tello added an assist when Estefania Garro made it 2-0 at 58:45. Marta Hernán scored unassisted at 73:02, and Yolanda Cruz Alt finished a chance from Kyndal Stafford’s assist at 78:34. Tennessee Wesleyan outshot Brenau 12-6 and held an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal, with all three of Tello’s attempts on target.
Izzy Martinez finished with four saves for Brenau. At the other end, Ana Martinez stopped Madison Kitson’s shot at 89:07, Brenau’s only attempt on target, to complete a one-save shutout. Truett McConnell and Tennessee Wesleyan will meet for the championship Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m. in Cleveland, Ga.
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