BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat men's soccer team put its 4-match winning streak on the line Wednesday night as it hosted the Reinhardt University Eagles, a team receiving votes in the latest NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest. While the Cavaliers owned a 1-goal lead at the break, two second-half goals downed the Cavs on their home turf as the hosts fell by a 2-1 margin and dropped to 4-4-1 (3-2-0 AAC) on the season.
 
Both teams battled for possession and chances through the opening 30 minutes of action, with neither side able to find the breakthrough. Marius Braedstrup-Holm made a diving save in the 16^th minute along with two other routine stops to keep the visitors off the scoreboard, which allowed the Cavaliers to find their rhythm and eventually tally the first half's lone goal.
 
Building out of the back, Montreat pushed its attack forward toward the top of the 18-yard box. Zeljko Stanojevic hopped on a loose ball at the half-circle, cut back to his right and unleashed a blast into the upper left corner of the netting. The Lazarevac, Serbia native's fifth goal of the season handed the hosts a 1-0 lead with just 7:44 remaining in the half.
 
Reinhardt (5-2-3, 3-2-0 AAC) nearly equalized 66 seconds after the Cavs' strike, but Primo Garcia made a sliding goal line clearance in the 39^th minute to secure a 1-0 halftime advantage for Montreat. Despite trailing at the break, the Eagles held edges in shots (10-4), shots on goal (5-1) and corner kicks (3-2). Braedstrup-Holm registered four saves through the initial 45 minutes of play.
 
The first five minutes of the second half featured great opportunities for each team to score. Reinhardt forced a save and missed a close-range look at goal less than a minute into the frame, while the Cavaliers were denied twice by the RU goalie in the 50^th minute.
 
As the half went along, the Eagles started to mount more pressure in the attacking third. That extra time on Montreat's end of the pitch resulted in a corner kick and a set piece goal that leveled the match in the 57^th minute.
 
With under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, Reinhardt went to its bench for the game-winning goal. Just 85 seconds after entering the match for the first time tonight, RU's Jacob Grimmer secured the visitors' second tally and a 2-1 victory in the process.
 
"I was very proud of the way the guys played tonight," said head coach Michael Bruce. "We went toe-to-toe with a team that will be in the top 25 before long. In the end, we were unfortunate to walk away with a defeat. If we play like this, we will win a lot more games this season."
 
Thanks to a strong second half, the visitors added on to their statistical advantages, doubling the Cavs in shots (26-13) and shots on goal (10-5). Montreat attempted nine corner kicks in the second half alone to end the night with an 11-9 edge in that department. Braedstrup-Holm concluded the night with seven saves in net.
 
The Montreat men's soccer team takes a brief hiatus from AAC play on Saturday when it faces off against Carolina University in non-conference action. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Advance, N.C.