BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest at Pulliam Stadium, the Montreat men's soccer team lost to the Union College Bulldogs, dropping to 5-9-1 overall and 4-6-1 in AAC action.
 
The Cavaliers strung quality passes together and created opportunities out of the possession. Immediately, Ricardo Madan placed the first attempt of the game on target in just the third minute.
 
Following additional chances, Madan got the Cavs on the board 14:46 into the contest. Guido Glorioso cleared a long ball to a sprinting Madan, who beat the lone defender, kept his nerve and slotted the ball past the Union keeper for his team-best ninth tally of the season to give Montreat a 1-0 advantage.
 
The home side's edge was short-lived as the Bulldogs equalized thanks to an own goal a mere 27 seconds later. Union (6-3-5, 6-1-4 AAC) then took a 2-1 lead in the 34^th minute after continual pressure on the Cavalier defense.
 
Though the visitors held significant advantages in shot attempts and overall possession with a few minutes left in the half, a flurry of shots with under a minute remaining nearly pulled the Cavs level. Three tries with less than 30 seconds left were blocked, the final of which resulted in a corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, Brian Eke headed a try that eluded the Bulldog goalie and struck the left upright with two seconds on the clock.
 
Thanks to the late plethora of shots, both teams registered seven in the opening 45 minutes. Union held a slight edge in corners (2-1) and shots on goal (5-3), while Marius Braedstrup-Holm collected a trio of saves in the initial period to keep the Cavaliers within a goal.
 
The second half featured many more opportunities for the Cavs, who outshot the Bulldogs 6-2 in the frame. Possession once again created chances with Montreat holding the ball for a majority of the latter 45 minutes; however, the Bulldog back line tightened, allowing few quality scoring attempts.
 
Raphael Akendo had an opportunity to knot the contest, subjectively the best chance of the second half, with 30 minutes to go, but his blast from the penalty area skied over the goal. In the closing moments of the competition, a free kick from Madan just outside the box was blocked and skittered wide left before a pair of corner kicks came up empty and the clock expired, as neither team recorded a shot on target in the second period.
 
The Cavaliers outshot Union 13-9, but the Bulldogs placed five of their attempts on frame to the Cavs' mere three. Montreat also ended with double the amount of corners than their opposition, claiming four set pieces in the game, while Union tried to stretch the Cavalier back line with 10 offside calls. Braedstrup-Holm finished the night with his match-high three stops in net.

"The guys fought hard until the end tonight and ultimately did not get the result that their outstanding performance deserved," said head coach Michael Bruce. "The last two games have been our best two performances of the season and that lays such a positive foundation for the future."
 
Men's soccer heads to Tennessee for its next contest, a game at Johnson University-Tennessee on Saturday. Kickoff in Knoxville is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.