DAYTON, Tenn.— On the road Saturday night at Bryan College, the Montreat men's soccer team utilized a quick start and a five-goal second-half outburst to defeat the Lions 7-3 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. With the emphatic victory, the Cavs moved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference for the 2021 season.
 
In the opening minute of play, Marco Oyarzo got the Cavaliers on the board with a brilliant effort. The junior flicked a ball around a defender to himself at the top of the box and powered a half volley past the Bryan keeper to break the ice 31 seconds into the competition.
 
Despite the early Montreat advantage, the Lions equalized immediately, striking a mere 15 ticks after Oyarzo's tally.
 
Hussein Ali then restored the visitors' lead and continued the high-scoring start of the contest by winning a ball away from the Bryan defense and slotting his first goal as a Cavalier. Ali regained control of an attempted through ball and finished in the fifth minute to make the score 2-1.
 
A free kick opportunity midway through the half leveled the game again as the Lions capitalized on a set piece just outside of the box.
 
Jesus Ramos stepped up late in the initial frame, making two key stops on clear-cut scoring chances for the home squad.
 
In a physical first half that saw each team collect a pair of cautions, Bryan edged Montreat in shots (9-4), but both of the Cavaliers' shots on frame found the back of the net in the four-goal period.
 
Ali then started the offensive explosion in the second half by setting up the third goal of the evening for the Cavs as he dribbled down the right wing in the 66^th minute. The transfer from Lakeland Community College cut a ball back to the top of the box that was powered home into the top right corner by Rodrigo Jimenez.
 
A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ali finished off a play at the 6-yard box in the next minute of play to add to his impressive night. Carlos Hernandez squared a pass that was poked home by Ali to give the Cavaliers the first multi-goal advantage for either team.
 
The Cavs continued to push on the offensive side of the field in the second half as the third score of the latter period gave Montreat a three-goal advantage in the 75^th minute. Hernandez set up another opportunity, breaking toward the end line and crossing a ball to Hugo Rodriguez, who finished far post to put the Cavaliers up 5-2.
 
Though the Lions pulled a goal back on a penalty in the 77^th minute, a pair of goals by Montreat sealed the triumph in the visitors' favor. First, Ricardo Madan dribbled in the middle of the field to the top of the box and sent a shot into the left side netting with four minutes left in the contest. Brian Garcia punctuated the win by slicing through the BC defense and scoring with three seconds remaining to complete the rout.
 
Overall, the Cavaliers attempted 12 shots in the final 45 minutes to outshoot Bryan 16-15. Ramos ended the evening with four saves, while Montreat notched as many corners in the contest.

"It was great to get a big road win against a tough team," started head coach Michael Bruce. He added, "The guys put in an outstanding second-half performance to take command of the game. It was great to see some of our quality come out and I am excited to see more of this on Wednesday."

Men's soccer now hosts Columbia College (S.C.) for a matchup at Pulliam Stadium on Wednesday. Kickoff is slated for 7:15 p.m.