WEST POINT, Ga.— The Montreat women's soccer team played its first match in 10 days on Saturday afternoon, falling by a narrow 1-0 margin on the road against the Point University Skyhawks. With the defeat, Montreat dropped to 9-2 overall and 8-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) competition.
 
Both teams looked to build an early rhythm in the opening half. Point (5-7-1, 5-3-1 AAC) managed to register the first two shots of the half but couldn't put either on frame. The match's first shot on goal came in the 11^th minute of play off the foot of Isabel Aguilar.
 
Each team created a dangerous opportunity in the latter portion of the first half. For Montreat, that chance was inches away from putting the Cavaliers on top. In the 35^th minute, Zoe Frenier won possession in a dangerous area toward the left edge of the 18-yard box. Picking her head up, Frenier laid a pass off to Montreat's leading goal scorer, Jackie Montes, near the top of the box. Montes whipped in a left-footed strike that rattled off the right goal post and away from danger.
 
Nearly three minutes later, Point found a pocket of space near the top of Montreat's penalty area. Jasmine Mathis used the space to drag a shot through traffic, but Payton Landy alertly read the ball's trajectory and fell to her left to make the save.
 
Montreat had a narrow 4-3 shot advantage at halftime, but both sides managed to put just one of those shots on goal. The Skyhawks held a slight 4-3 corner kick edge at the break.
 
The Cavaliers began the second half with a good spell of possession. Despite controlling the possession, Montreat couldn't quite pay it off. Three early shots on goal continued to tilt the field in the Cavs' favor, but the Skyhawks persevered and worked their way back into the second half with the match still scoreless.
 
Point's perseverance proved to be a turning point. Carmen Kager sent a corner kick from the right side into the center of the box. Landy got a hand to the aerial ball, but the deflection played the ball right to the foot of Tamia Jones. Jones's quick reaction re-directed the loose ball past Landy and into the netting, giving Point a 1-0 lead with less than 20 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Montreat tried to battle back, registering four total shots and two on goal in the final 18 minutes of the match; however, Point managed to outshoot the Cavs, 6-4, after it took the lead. That aggression kept Montreat away from the attacking third, and the Skyhawks drained the remaining seconds off the clock to defeat the Cavaliers, 1-0.
 
"It was a tale of two halves," said head coach Kristin Eggert. "We were the dominant team in the first half but didn't finish. Credit to Point, they kept battling and capitalized on their chance."
 
After 90 minutes of play, the Cavaliers held advantages in total shots (12-11) and shots on goal (6-3). Point edged out Montreat on corner kicks, 9-3.
 
Women's soccer closes out its three-match road trip with a game at Union College on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.