ADVANCE, N.C.— The Montreat men's soccer team took a brief break from Appalachian Athletic Conference action Saturday evening as the Cavaliers traveled to Advance, N.C. for a non-conference matchup with the Carolina University Bruins. After 90 minutes of competitive soccer had passed, the Cavs fell on the wrong side of a 2-0 scoreline and dropped to 4-5-1 on the season.
 
In an evenly played first half that saw both squads combine for 17 shots but no goals, the Cavs made their opposition work harder early on. A trio of corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes set Montreat up for decent looks at goal, but only one resulted in a shot on target. Alex Klymenko notched the match's first attempt on frame, but CU's goalkeeper proved up to the task.
 
Carolina (9-2-0) registered four shot attempts over a 3:17 span midway through the initial frame, but the Bruins similarly placed just one on goal as Marius Braedstrup-Holm recorded the first of his two opening-half saves.
 
Ayden Krause provided a spark off the bench and forced two more saves in the latter stages of the period, but neither side found the breakthrough before the intermission. The Cavaliers possessed slight edges in shots (10-7), shots on goal (5-2) and corners (3-1) through 45 minutes of play.
 
Braedstrup-Holm continued his strong start in net with a pair of saves just 3:01 apart to keep the match goalless entering the 53^rd minute. Klymenko tallied his third shot on goal in the 65^th minute, but Montreat still couldn't sneak a strike past the CU goalie.
 
The scoreless deadlock between the two sides lasted for more than 68 minutes, but that changed in the 69^th minute when Carolina's 12^th shot attempt of the night found the back of the net.
 
Krause nearly evened the score at one with just 8:53 remaining in the contest, but his look at goal struck the post and failed to cross the crease. The Bruins capitalized on Montreat pushing numbers forward and doubled their advantage out to 2-0 in the 89^th minute, sealing the final result in the process.
 
Each team attempted 19 shots on the night, with Carolina placing three more on target (10-7). The Cavs took eight corner kicks to the hosts' one, and both teams were whistled for eight fouls. Braedstrup-Holm made eight saves during his busy night in net.
 
Returning to AAC play for its next contest, the Montreat men's soccer team remains on the road for a battle with No. 21 Union College (Ky.) on Wednesday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Barbourville, Ky.