BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— On Saturday night, the Montreat men's soccer team earned its first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season draw since 2019. Playing against the Point University Skyhawks in Black Mountain, N.C., the Cavaliers and Skyhawks finished 90 minutes of action with the scoreline level at 2-2. With the draw, the Cavs moved to 5-8-1 (4-5-1 AAC) on the season.
 
In a physical first half that featured 18 fouls, the Cavs created all the game's early dangerous chances. Hugo Rodriguez and Ricardo Madan forced saves on long-range strikes in the fourth and sixth minutes, while Rodriguez forced the Point goalkeeper to make another critical save on a breakaway opportunity in the 11^th minute. Meanwhile, Marius Braedstrup-Holm had to make just one stop in net through the opening 25 minutes of action.
 
With 20 minutes remaining in the initial frame, the Cavaliers created their most-threatening moment of the half. A smart pass from Rodriguez played Ricardo Araujo into space, and the Lisbon, Portugal native nearly leveled the match when he struck the right post on his shot attempt.
 
Against the run of play, Point (2-9-2, 2-6-1 AAC) broke the scoreless deadlock with the match's opening goal. A moment of combination play featuring a trio of Skyhawks helped the visitors jump in front, 1-0, with 16:35 left in the half. Point grew into the match from there, but Montreat still controlled the lion's share of possession as the Cavs entered the break down 1-0.
 
While both teams registered four shots on target in the first half, the Cavaliers held edges in both shots (9-6) and corner kicks (6-1) taken. Braedstrup-Holm made a trio of saves to keep the score at 1-0.
 
After forcing a diving save only 90 seconds into the second frame, Araujo pulled Montreat level just minutes later. With both time and space, Juan De Los Rios played a long ball forward from the Cavalier back line. Near the top of Point's 18-yard box, Araujo deftly settled the ball down at his feet. Surrounded by two defenders and a charging goalkeeper, Araujo split right through the Skyhawks and finished inside the right post, tying the match at 1-1.
 
Dominating the run of play, Montreat finally found its go-ahead goal with just 13:18 left in the match. Moving the ball swiftly from the left to the right side of the attacking third, Madan turned in space and curled a pass out wide right to a darting Rodriguez. Dribbling while sprinting in full stride, Rodriguez unfurled a rocket that soared inside the far left post.
 
Montreat's go-ahead strike wasn't the evening's final score, however, as the Skyhawks netted a crucial equalizer with only 6:07 remaining. Off a free kick from midfield, the Cavs failed to clear the bouncing ball in their own box, and a Skyhawk attacker capitalized by poking the loose ball into the Montreat goal. Despite outshooting Point in the second half, 9-1, that 84^th-minute tally proved to be the final score of the match as the Cavaliers earned a point against the visitors thanks to the 2-2 scoreline.
 
"The guys put in a great amount of effort tonight and played as a team," said head coach Michael Bruce. "The performance was excellent, and we had enough chances to win three games. Tonight, it just was not to be. If we play like this in our remaining games, we will have a positive season."
 
Overall, the Cavaliers finished the night with sizable advantages in shots (28-13), shots on goal (10-6) and corner kicks (10-3). Braedstrup-Holm closed out his performance in net with four saves.
 
The Montreat men's soccer team concludes its 3-match homestand on Wednesday with an AAC battle against the Union College Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.