MILLIGAN, Tenn.— With its season on the line, the Montreat men's soccer team used a stalwart defensive effort and several clutch individual efforts to upset the 14^th-ranked Milligan University Buffaloes, 1-1 (5-4 on PKs) in the quarterfinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament. With the victory, the Cavaliers improved to 8-9-1 overall and now advance to the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
 
The Cavs settled into the match nicely, using a spell of possession to create a handful of shot opportunities; however, Montreat couldn't direct any of the shot attempts on target, and Milligan started to build its way into the match.
 
Milligan (15-2-1) controlled of the match's pace of play throughout the remainder of the first half. Between the 30^th minute and the 34^th minute, the Buffaloes forced Jesus Ramos into three saves to keep the match scoreless. Ramos, up to the task all day, made the critical stops to keep Milligan off the scoreboard entering the halftime break.
 
After weathering the storm, the Cavaliers started to build momentum early in the second half. Using the flurry of set pieces and crosses sent into the box, Montreat finally earned its breakthrough in the 66^th minute of play. Attacking down the right side of the pitch, Montreat sent a cross into the box that ricocheted off a Milligan defender and into the net. The own goal put the Cavaliers up 1-0 with under 25 minutes left in regulation.
 
Ranked No. 14 in the nation, Milligan knew it had the talent to battle back as it searched for an equalizer. That match-tying goal was out there, and it came to fruition in the 77^th minute. Victor Castel's ninth goal of the season leveled the match late in the half, closing out regulation in a 1-1 battle.
 
Neither team could find the finishing touch in the first overtime period, but the Cavaliers came closest to snagging a winner. In the 100^th minute, the Cavaliers forced Milligan goalkeeper Jan Kuepper to make two saves, one from Hugo Rodriguez and another by Oliver Nuno-Rodriguez. As the Cavs raced to take a corner, the clock ran out and the match was headed for a second overtime period.
 
In the back-and-forth affair, Milligan looked the stronger side in the second overtime. With a perfect 9-0 home record heading into the contest, the Buffaloes looked to extend that streak by creating two decent looks at goal in the opening minute of the second overtime period; however, only one of those shots landed on frame, and Ramos was up to the task, making the save and preserving the 1-1 score line.
 
The Cavaliers mustered one shot in the second overtime, a Ricardo Araujo blast that was blocked by the Milligan defense. With the match still knotted at one, penalty kicks were needed to decide which team would advance to the AAC semifinals.
 
Montreat went first in the penalty shootout, and Carlos Hernandez delivered with a beautiful penalty take to put the Cavs up 1-0. On the other side, Ramos stood tall and made a clutch save on Milligan's first penalty attempt.
 
With the penalty kick tallies tied at one entering the fourth round of kicks, William Stallworth, Araujo and Guido Glorioso took and finished crucial penalty tries to put Milligan's AAC Tournament journey on the brink of ending in the quarterfinals; however, an experienced Milligan side stepped up and pushed PKs into the seventh round. 
 
Ricardo Madan walked up to the penalty spot in the seventh round of PKs and delivered for the Cavaliers, once again forcing Milligan into make-or-go-home situation. Ramos, who stopped the first penalty he faced earlier in the sequence, bookended PKs by making the clinching save on the Buffaloes' seventh attempt. The Cavaliers, winning the penalty shootout by the tally of 5-4, ended Milligan's six-match winning streak and booked their spot in the AAC semifinals on Tuesday. 
 
"The guys put a great performance in today," said head coach Michael Bruce. "We have performed like this all season, and it was great to finally get the result we deserved. We are excited to move into the semifinals and look to keep our run going."
 
Milligan ended the match with a narrow edge in shots (15-11) and shots on target (8-5), while the Cavaliers held a slight advantage on corner kicks (11-9). Ramos made seven stops in net over the course of 110 minutes, plus two penalty kicks to help the Cavaliers advance to the next round.
 
Montreat men's soccer moves on next to play in the semifinal round of the AAC Tournament. The seventh-seeded Cavaliers will battle the sixth-seed Point University Skyhawks on Tuesday in West Point, Ga. Match start time is yet to be determined.