BARBOURVILLE, Ky.— Facing an uphill battle from the start, the Montreat men's soccer team took on an undefeated Union College Bulldog squad in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) competition Wednesday night. After sitting tied through the first frame and playing a hard-fought 90 minutes, the Cavaliers fell to the No. 17 ranked Bulldogs by a score of 6-2, moving to 4-6-1 (3-3 AAC) on the season in the process.
 
Union (10-0, 6-0 AAC) hemmed Montreat into its own half at the start of the contest, creating promising chances in the opening minutes. The Bulldogs immediately snatched control of the match thanks to a well-finished passing play just 4:12 into the game that handed the favored side a 1-0 lead.
 
After the initial tally, the Cavaliers notched a spell of possession; however, the visitors failed to trouble the UC keeper with their sole shot attempt early on. The opportunities built until Montreat capitalized on its second try of the night. Playing the ball out wide, Ethan Kerns sent a ball into the box that Zeljko Stanojevic volleyed into the net to level the match at one in the 24^th minute.
 
Over the latter portion of the period, the squads traded shots off target and corner kicks before Marius Braedstrup-Holm made a pair of saves to keep the score deadlocked. With eight minutes remaining until the intermission, the Ballerup, Denmark native stuffed two shots in quick succession to usher the game into halftime tied at one.
 
At the half, the Bulldogs doubled up the Cavaliers in shot attempts, 8-4. Union put four tries on target, but Braedstrup-Holm stopped the final three of those shots. Montreat netted its only shot on goal, while leading the corner kick count 2-1 through 45 minutes.
 
Both goalies were tested within three minutes of the second frame; however, each was equal to the task. As the Cavaliers and Bulldogs battled for the upper hand, Union made the most of a defensive miscue by Montreat in the 51^st minute, tapping in the go-ahead goal following a bouncing ball in the penalty area.
 
The strike shifted momentum in the home side's favor as UC added an insurance score less than four minutes later to make it 3-1 with about 35 minutes left for a Cav comeback attempt. Undeterred by the third goal, Montreat pulled a goal back in the 60^th minute. Set pieces gave the Cavaliers chances, and on the third corner kick in a span of three minutes, the Miodrag Bankovic headed home the resulting outswinging cross from Rodrigo Jimenez to cut the Cavs' deficit to one.
 
In a back-and-forth second period, the Bulldogs had the final say. Union restored its 2-goal advantage in the 71^st minute prior to potting a fifth with 10 minutes to go and another in the 86^th minute to seal their 10^th straight victory and remain undefeated on the season with a 4-goal triumph.
 
"It was very disappointing to lose this game. The score did not reflect the game," head coach Michael Bruce stated. "For one half we competed with and may have been better than the No. 17 team in the nation. We need to improve our second-half performance and mentality if we want to move forward this season."
 
As the match went on, UC grew its edges in statistical categories due to its 5-goal second half. The Bulldogs, who picked their way through Montreat's defense over the final 45 minutes, ended the contest with a 23-10 advantage in attempted shots as well as a 16-4 lead in shots on goal. Montreat concluded the night with six corners to Union's three, while Braedstrup-Holm earned his keep in net with a career-high 10 saves.
 
Men's soccer looks to rebound from its 3-match losing streak when the Cavaliers host Johnson University on Saturday. Kickoff between the Royals and Cavs at Pulliam Stadium is set for 7:15 p.m.