ATLANTA, Ga.— In a neutral contest against the Faulkner University Eagles, the Montreat men's soccer team fell behind by two, but scored three unanswered goals in a span of 13 minutes, including a game-winner with eight seconds left, to capture its first victory of the 2022 campaign. With the 3-2 result, the Cavaliers are now 1-2 on the season.
 
Faulkner (2-1) registered a pair of quick shots, including one that tested Marius Braedstrup-Holm just eight seconds after the opening whistle; however, Braedstrup-Holm was equal to the task to keep the game scoreless.
 
The Cavs then collected their first attempt off the foot of Hugo Rodriguez that sailed wide left in the 34^th minute. Rodriguez's shot was the only attempt at goal for the Cavaliers in the first half as the Eagles outshot Montreat 7-1, 4-0 on frame through one half.
 
Following the Cavs' chance, Faulkner converted on a penalty kick in the 41^st minute to break the deadlock and lead 1-0. Braedstrup-Holm registered his third and final save of the first period with just under a minute on the clock to hold the Eagles to their single goal with 45 minutes to play.
 
In the second half, both teams battled back and forth. Though Faulkner outshot the Cavaliers 9-7 in the second frame, each team got on the scoreboard and the Cavs made the most of their opportunities to score multiple times.
 
After the Eagles doubled their advantage in the 75^th minute, Montreat immediately responded. Ricardo Araujo beat the Faulkner keeper just 2:26 later, cutting the Cavs' deficit in half. Araujo's goal was not only his first of the year, but the team's first goal of 2022, snapping a scoreless streak of 256:47 to begin the season.
 
Momentum tipped in the Cavaliers' favor following their goal, eventually leading to the game-tying tally off the foot of Rodriguez. The Madrid, Spain native netted the team's second score with 6:24 remaining in the contest as the Cavs pulled even and looked to go ahead in the waning moments.

"I am extremely proud of the guys and the fight they showed in the second half," mentioned head coach Michael Bruce. "We had to recover from a poor first-half performance and the guys did exceptionally well."
 
The final six minutes resulted in chaos as both squads registered shots on frame with time dwindling. Ricardo Madan, Primo Garcia and Rodriguez all forced saves from Faulkner, while Braedstrup-Holm kept the game level with a save off of an Eagles corner kick in the 87^th minute.
 
Then, Rodriguez played the role of hero in the final seconds. A sophomore, Rodriguez capped off the come-from-behind win with only eight ticks left on the clock, beating the Faulkner goalie and securing the Cavaliers' initial triumph of the year at the death of the game.
 
Overall, the Eagles outshot the Cavs 16-8, 11-6 on frame, but Montreat placed six second-half shots on goal to put pressure on its opposition. Braedstrup-Holm ended the evening with nine crucial saves in net to record his first win as a Cavalier.

Bruce added, "It was great to finally see a performance that our team is capable of in the second half. We now need to carry that forward into conference play starting next weekend. I'm excited to see how God continues to work in our hearts and minds and fills us with the spirit and fight that we need to be successful."
 
Men's soccer returns home for its next competition, a matchup with Truett McConnell University on Sept. 10. Kickoff for the Cavs' first conference contest is set for 4:30 p.m. at Pulliam Stadium.