COLUMBIA, S.C.— In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) battle against the Columbia College Koalas on the road, the Montreat women's soccer team rallied from a first-half deficit to claim a 2-1 victory Wednesday afternoon. With the conference triumph, the Cavs moved to 3-2 (3-1 AAC) on the year.
 
After a fair bit of pressure in the opening minutes, it was the home side who pulled ahead at the 14:15 mark. The Koalas made the Cavaliers pay for a turnover in the defensive third, slotting a chance past Logan White, who had stuffed four opposing shot attempts at that point, to go up 1-0.
 
White was then called into action on a breakaway attempt in the 24^th minute. The Surprise, Ariz. native stood tall in net, kicking her left foot out to stunt the Columbia attack to keep it a one-goal contest for her fifth stop midway through the first half.
 
Against the run of play, the Cavs knotted the scoreline with 13:42 remaining before the intermission. A spell of possession resulted in Sydney Jordan, the reigning AAC and NAIA Defensive Player of the Week, carrying the ball in the midfield. She relayed a pass to Hayden Bunn, who quickly switched field and played in Zoe Frenier. Frenier tucked a shot into the left side of the net for her first goal of the season.
 
With late possession and pressure, Montreat closed the shot gap to five (13-8) at the half. Columbia also held a five-shot edge in strikes on target (9-4) and a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks. White ended the initial period with eight saves as the Koalas peppered the Cavs' goal with opportunities in the opening 45 minutes.
 
Columbia (2-2, 1-2 AAC) began the second half much like it did the first, testing the defensive abilities of the visitors; however, the Cavaliers withstood the pressure and surged forward themselves. Montreat hemmed the Koalas into their defensive third for the first 20 minutes of the latter frame, producing a shot and a corner without allowing an attempt from the home team over the span in the process.
 
The effort paid dividends in the 74^th minute when a deflected pass bounced in the box chaotically. With the Columbia keeper off her line in an attempt to clear the ball, Sofia Brotherton recorded her first career tally by guiding the loose ball into the gaping goal with her left foot to give the Cavs a 2-1 lead.
 
Thanks to the Matthews, N.C. native's goal and stout defense in the second period, the Cavaliers were able to see out their one-goal win for their third victory of the young season. The Koalas held a slight edge in shots taken (15-13), while doubling up the Cavs in shots on target (10-5). Montreat's second-half prowess showed in two categories: corners and saves. The visitors ended the afternoon with a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks and White finished the match with nine total saves, a season high, to Columbia's mere three.
 
"I am incredibly proud of our team's effort today," mentioned head coach Kristin Eggert. She continued, "It was a physical battle and we had to grind to get the win on the road. We handled the pressure with class."
 
Women's soccer returns to action at Milligan University on Saturday. Kickoff in Tennessee is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.