CLEVELAND, Ga.— The Montreat men's soccer team stopped in the state of Georgia Saturday afternoon for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) battle against the Truett McConnell University Bears. While the Cavaliers looked like the better side throughout the second half, the visitors couldn't overcome a 2-goal deficit as Montreat lost the contest, 2-1, and fell to 6-9-1 (5-6-0 AAC) this year.
 
Truett McConnell (9-2-2, 7-2-2 AAC) pressured the Montreat defense early, totaling a trio of shots and two corner kicks across a 70-second span five minutes into the initial half. Despite owning a 5-0 shot advantage less than 11 minutes into the match, the Bears couldn't find the back of the net as Marius Braedstrup-Holm saved TMU's lone attempt on frame over that stretch.
 
After 17:09 had passed, a free kick changed the hosts' fortunes. Whipped into the penalty area from roughly 35 yards out, Truett McConnell's free kick landed in the middle of the Cavs' 18-yard box. From there, a TMU attacker settled the pass and tapped home the opening goal to seize a 1-0 lead.
 
Montreat had its fair share of looks at goal in the first half as the Bears attempted merely two more shots than the Cavaliers (13-11); however, just three of those tries landed on target. Brian Eke (13^th minute), Rodrigo Jimenez (30^th minute) and Zeljko Stanojevic (39^th minute) each guided an attempt of frame, but all three shots failed to sneak past TMU's goalkeeper. As a result, the home side entered halftime up 1-0.
 
Four of Truett McConnell's 13 shots hit their mark, with Braedstrup-Holm collecting saves on three of those tries. The Bears also took six of the initial period's 10 corner kicks.
 
Down a goal at the start of the second half, Montreat dominated nearly the entire period. The Cavs outshot the hosts 15-4 across the latter 45 minutes of play, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal and a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks. That dominance resulted in several dangerous opportunities for the visitors.
 
In the 68^th minute, a TMU handball in the box presented the Cavaliers with a penalty kick. Stanojevic struck the ball well, but the Bears' goalie made an outstretched save diving to his left to keep Montreat off the scoreboard. Two minutes later, Marcos Santiago drilled the crossbar on a free kick from just outside the penalty area.
 
With the Cavs unable to capitalize on their chances, Truett McConnell bagged what ultimately became the game-winning goal. A corner kick with 4:31 remaining resulted in a header that barely crossed the goal line and doubled the home team's lead out to 2-0.
 
Ayden Krause's fifth goal of the season gave Montreat life with 1:55 left as the Asheville, N.C. native pounced on a loose ball from roughly six yards out; however, time proved to be the Cavaliers' biggest enemy. TMU managed to see out the final 115 seconds and clinch a 2-1 win on its home field.
 
"This was a hard result to take," said head coach Michael Bruce. "We played exceptionally well, especially in the second half, but we must take care of the final action and take our chances in front of goal to win close games like this. Now we have a lot of pressure in our last two games, but we are very much looking forward to them."
 
Behind a strong second half, the Cavs ended the day with edges in shots (26-17), shots on goal (10-6) and corner kicks (13-9). Santiago attempted nine shots during the match, while all four of Stanojevic's looks landed on target. Braedstrup-Holm made four saves in the effort.
 
The Montreat men's soccer team returns to Pulliam Stadium on Wednesday for its final home match of the 2023 season. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m., and the senior day celebrations are set for halftime in Montreat, N.C.