DAYTON, Tenn.— The Montreat women's soccer team secured a clean sheet and a road Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) victory on a rainy Saturday at Bryan College, 2-0.
Montreat (3-1, 2-1 AAC) started the match on the front foot, applying pressure up top and continually keeping the ball in Bryan's half. In the 12
th minute, that pressure paid off.
Lions' goalkeeper Alyssa Karnes punted the ball toward midfield. Reading it through the air,
Isabel Aguilar stepped up and, on one touch, played the ball forward to
Jackie Montes. Seeing a defender closing in and Karnes off her line, Montes dribbled once to her left and took a strike from over 20 yards out. Montes' rocket soared past Karnes and buried itself into the net, establishing the Cavs' 1-0 lead.
Trailing by a goal, Bryan (1-2, 1-1 AAC) used that urgency to work its way back into the match. While the Lions failed to find a goal, they flipped the shot total in their favor by halftime, 6-4.
Both teams found a little more space in the second half, resulting in more scoring chances and total shots. But, once again, it was only Montes who could find the back of the net.
In the 67
th minute, Montes intercepted a pass from the Bryan back line. Just outside the right edge of the penalty box, Montes had a few yards of space. Planting her right foot, she whipped another left-footed shot toward goal. This attempt curled just inside the right post, giving Montes her second goal of the match and fourth of the week.
Despite the rainy conditions, Montreat played a clean match defensively and saw out the 2-0 win.
Payton Landy played an important role in helping the Cavs secure the shutout, making three saves on the afternoon for her second clean sheet in net this season.
"I am tremendously pleased with the consistency of our work rate," said head coach
Kristin Eggert. "This is our most complete match to date. We stayed disciplined in our defending and connected well in possession."
Over the 90 minutes, the Cavaliers outshot the Lions overall (13-11) and on goal (five-to-three). Montreat also held a distinct advantage on corner kicks at five to one.
The Cavaliers return to the pitch on Wednesday versus Columbia College at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
