ATHENS, Tenn.— The Montreat men's soccer team battled the (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Friday afternoon in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest that was moved up a day due to forecasted inclement weather. After 90 minutes of game action in Athens, Tenn., the Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong side of a 3-1 decision, dropping their record to 3-7 (2-5 AAC) in the process.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (4-1-5, 3-1-2 AAC) made Marius Braedstrup-Holm work in net early. In less than 12 minutes, the Ballerup, Denmark native made three saves to hold off a flurry of Bulldog shots. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, Braedstrup-Holm proved himself more than capable of slowing down a dangerous attack; however, despite the goalkeeper's strong play in net, TWU's attacking intensity never wavered.
 
Wynand Wessels opened the scoring account for Tennessee Wesleyan thanks to a penalty kick goal in the 22^nd minute. While the Bulldogs didn't place a shot on target for the rest of the half, the hosts did direct four of their eight first-half looks on frame. Meanwhile, Hugo Rodriguez and Ricardo Madan tallied the only Montreat shots in the opening 45 minutes, with Rodriguez's shot missing high and Madan's look being blocked. Both teams were credited with a corner kick prior to the intermission.
 
Corner kicks helped the Bulldogs score twice in the second half, including a set-piece header just 5:05 into the frame to double the Tennessee Wesleyan lead. TWU's third tally came in the 58^th minute on a re-entry cross seconds after the Cavaliers cleared the initial danger from a corner kick.
 
Trailing 3-0, Ricardo Madan drew a goal back on an impressive 62^nd-minute volley. Ethan Kerns picked out Ricardo Araujo on a throw in near TWU's right corner flag. With the defense closing, Araujo slid the ball back to Kerns, who then suddenly launched a looping cross into the penalty area. Madan read the aerial ball well and stuck his left foot out, directing the ball into the upper right corner in the process. The Charlotte, N.C. native's fourth goal of the season wasn't enough to bring the Cavaliers back, however, as the Bulldogs kept Montreat off the board the remainder of the way, defeating the visitors by a pair of goals, 3-1.
 
"I was extremely proud of the way the team played today," said head coach Michael Bruce. "They gave everything and showed great character. If we perform like this consistently, we will pick up some big wins in the second half of the season."
 
Tennessee Wesleyan outshot the Cavaliers 14-7 on Friday, including a 7-1 advantage regarding shots on target. The Bulldogs also had a slight edge in corner kicks taken, 4-2.
 
The Montreat men's soccer team plays the second match of its three-game road trip on Wednesday at Kentucky Christian University. Kickoff is slated for 6:15 p.m. in Grayson, Ky.