PIKEVILLE, Ky. - UPike men's soccer won their final AAC home match of the season, defeating Columbia International University 2-0 at Bob Amos Park Saturday afternoon.  

UPike's offense got to work early in this one. The Bears drew a foul deep in the CIU zone and were granted a free kick. Alex Pritchard took the free kick and connected with Rafael Chevarria, who headed the ball into the net for the first goal of the match. Chevarria's goal was the lone goal of the first half. The Bears outshot the Rams 7-3 in the first 45.  

Leading 1-0, the Bears offense continued to put the pressure on the CIU defense early in the second half. From minutes 59 to 62, the Bears registered four corner kicks, three header attempts (one on frame), and one shot attempt but did not score.  

UPike's offense kept the pressure and were eventually rewarded for their work. In the 80th minute, Sam Allison used some excellent footwork to get behind the CIU defense and crossed a ball into the box, connecting with Rus to get the Bears up 2-0.  

Freshman goalkeeper Truls Wagbo earned his first win in net, turning away both CIU shots he faced. As a team, the Bears outshot the Rams 22-5 and had a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal.  

Saturday's match was the Bears' final AAC match of the season, and the Bears finished with a conference record of 7-2-3. The Bears finished fourth in the AAC and will host a match in the 2025 AAC Men's Soccer Tournament. Their opponent will be Tennessee Wesleyan, with the date and time to be announced.  

Coach Oliver Hewitt-Fisher's team is now 9-5-3 overall and have one regular season game left, a 4:00 p.m. home match against Boyce College Tuesday at Bob Amos Park.  

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