The RHEMA Bible Training Center soccer team had two weeks to prepare for their first match of the season. Not surprisingly, the result wasn’t pretty—a 7-0 loss to Hillsdale College. But as the saying goes, “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish!”

The Eagles did finish strong, making it to the finals of the Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) national championship before falling to Hillsdale 3-1 in the championship game. RHEMA entered the tournament as the bottom seed after compiling a regular-season record of 2-6.

One thing their record didn’t show was players getting into shape, gelling as a team, and growing in confidence. After being shut out in their first contest, the Eagles never lost a game by more than one goal throughout the remainder of the regular season.

In the first round of the ACCA National Championship, RHEMA knocked off last year’s runner-up, the Central Christian College Tigers, by a score of 3-1. In the semifinals, the Eagles pulled off another upset, defeating the Barclay College Bears 2-1. In the finals, RHEMA outshot Hillsdale but couldn’t get the ball into the back of the net.

Eagles Head Coach David Sherrill was extremely proud of the effort put forth by his squad. “We had an amazing year,” he said. “Even with our rough start, we saw something we could believe in. The guys worked really hard.”

More importantly, Sherrill saw a bond form among his players that will last long after the gleam of a trophy fades. “The relationships that were built and developed on the team—I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” he said. “I can see these guys five or 10 years from now, and they’ll be in ministry together, going to each other’s churches or out on the mission field together.”

RHEMA will continue to field a men’s soccer team and plans to start a women’s team next year. “Anybody that is planning on coming to RHEMA, I would tell them, ‘Get excited about playing for RHEMA,’ ” Sherrill said. “God is in it. Soccer, for us, was a ministry; it wasn’t just a sport. And we saw God do a lot of work among the players.”