BARBOURVILLE, Ky.— The Montreat men's soccer team wrapped up a four-match road trip at Union College (Ky.) on Wednesday night, ultimately falling to the Bulldogs, 2-0. Montreat dropped to 7-7 overall and 6-5 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play with Wednesday night's defeat.
 
Both teams created a few chances in the first half of play. Rodrigo Jimenez and Carlos Hernandez placed shots on frame during the opening 45 minutes of the match, but Union goalkeeper Pedro Moreira managed to stave off each attempt.
 
Union's (8-4-1, 6-3 AAC) best opportunities came later in the first half. In fact, it was a moment of individual brilliance in the 40^th minute that helped the Bulldogs break the deadlock and take a 1-0 lead. Ulisses Santana Reis dribbled down the righthand side of the attacking third and, with a slight hesitation and shake, juked a Montreat defender near the top right edge of the 18-yard box. That created all the space Santana Reis needed, as he dribbled inside the penalty area and slotted a shot into the lower left corner of the net.
 
The Bulldogs doubled their lead less than four minutes later. Off a throw-in on the right side in the attacking third, Union sent a looping cross into the box. Joseph Daulby made a central run through the penalty area and powered a header toward goal. Montreat goalkeeper Jesus Ramos dove to his right and got his fingertips to the ball, but the header had too much power as it glanced off Ramos' fingertips and into the netting.
 
After 45 minutes of play, the Bulldogs held an advantage on shots (9-5), shots on goal (7-3) and corner kicks (7-0). Ramos made five saves in the frame to keep the Cavs' deficit at 2-0.
 
The Cavaliers came out of the halftime break aggressively, holding much of the possession and creating the lion's share of scoring chances. William Stallworth and Jimenez converted that possession into shots on target, but Moreira continued to stand tall and hold Montreat scoreless.
 
Against the run of play, Union thought it had its third goal of the match in the 74^th minute. Off a corner kick, several Bulldog attackers tried to poke the loose ball home through traffic in Ramos' penalty box. After a brief pinball-like sequence, the Bulldogs squeezed a shot through; however, the attacker on the right post who created the critical touch was in an offside position, wiping out the potential goal and keeping the Cavaliers in the match at 2-0.
 
Despite controlling the possession for most of the second half, the Cavaliers couldn't transform those minutes on the ball into goals. Over the final 30 minutes of game action, Montreat failed to put a shot on target.

"The guys played with a lot of heart tonight and gave everything," said head coach Michael Bruce. "It was a great performance for 85 minutes, but we switched off for five minutes and it cost us. We are looking forward to returning home on Saturday after a run of tough road games."
 
Union held a slight advantage in both shots (13-11) and shots on goal (7-5) after 90 minutes. Both Ramos and Moreira made five saves.
 
Montreat men's soccer returns home on Saturday to take on the Johnson University Royals. Kickoff is scheduled for approximately 7:15 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.