MILLIGAN, Tenn.— The Montreat women's soccer team traveled to Milligan, Tenn. Saturday afternoon and came back with a strong 2-1 victory over the Milligan University Buffaloes. Montreat's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) win marked its fourth consecutive triumph over Milligan, as well as the team's fourth straight victory overall and in conference play. With the win, the Cavs' record now stands at 4-2 (4-1 AAC).
 
Montreat set the tone immediately in the first half, with both Sam Aalbue and Isabel Aguilar firing off shots in just the second minute of play. While neither strike landed on target, the Cavaliers proved to be the only side to force a save in the match's initial 45 minutes of action. The Cavs outpaced the Buffaloes in shots on goal in the first half, 6-0, as Aalbue forced a Milligan save in the 21^st minute.
 
Head coach Kristin Eggert subbed on Keyla Perez-Rodriguez in the 26^th minute, and the change paid instant dividends. A freshman from Morganton, N.C., it was Perez-Rodriguez who broke the scoreless deadlock with her first Cavalier tally in the 28^th minute. Near the corner of the 18-yard box, Perez-Rodriguez lofted a shot over the Milligan goalkeeper and into the net as Montreat moved in front on the scoreboard, 1-0.
 
"It felt amazing scoring my first career goal," Perez-Rodriguez shared. "I was able to come onto the field with confidence and was really excited to see the ball go in the back of the net."
 
Six minutes later, Milligan's defense committed a costly turnover, and the Cavaliers used it to double their lead. Aguilar pounced on the turnover and slotted a pass to her left where an open Zoe Frenier waited in the box. Frenier, who only had the keeper to beat, made easy work of the great look on goal and used her second score of the season to stake the Cavs out to a 2-0 halftime lead.
 
The Buffaloes held a 4-0 edge in corner kicks at the intermission, but Montreat owned a 10-7 shots advantage, in addition to its lead in shots on goal and goals scored.
 
Still on the front foot, Aguilar nearly added to the Cavalier lead in the 51^st minute. From long range, Aguilar unleased a strike that forced a diving save from the Buffaloes' netminder.
 
Milligan (2-4-1, 1-3 AAC) forced Logan White into action in the 60^th minute. With the Buffs registering their first shot on target, White was up to the task and made a comfortable save. A little later, in the 66^th minute, White made a shoulder-high save to silence a Milligan counterattack.
 
A foul in the 87^th minute set Milligan up for a penalty-kick goal, but that was as close as the Buffaloes would get. The Cavaliers didn't allow a shot over the final 3:34 of regulation, seeing out their fourth consecutive victory in the process thanks a 2-1 score.
 
"We had fantastic possession throughout the first half," Eggert said. "We created a significant number of opportunities, and you have to give credit to Milligan for battling to the final whistle. Road wins are huge, so credit to our team for bringing home the result."
 
While Milligan closed the gap in shots (18-12) and shots on goal (7-3), Montreat still ended the contest with the edge in both categories. The Cavaliers also earned four corner kicks in the second half to draw even with the Buffaloes overall (4-4).
 
The Montreat women's soccer team hosts Columbia International University on Wednesday for its next AAC contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.