CLEVELAND, Ga.— Montreat College's women's soccer team played in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament Quarterfinal match Saturday afternoon against the No. 9-ranked Truett McConnell University Bears. The Bears received the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, while the Cavaliers secured the No. 8 seed. With their win on Tuesday against the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers, they advanced from the Play-In Game to face nationally-ranked TMU. The Cavs faltered in the matchup, losing 2-0.
 
The Cavaliers started out the match with an impressive defensive effort. Goalkeeper Anna Weissenfluh put on a show in the first half, stopping any Bears attack coming her way. She also tallied a penalty kick save in the 29^th minute of the contest, keeping both teams scoreless. Montreat did not attempt a shot in the period, but the Cavs' press worked beautifully to neutralize the TMU offense. Montreat continued to fend off Truett McConnell's pressure, with Weissenfluh making additional saves to deny shots from the hosts. Despite several attempts from the Bears, including a shot hitting the crossbar, the Cavaliers maintained the stalemate. The first half concluded with neither side able to break through, ending 0-0.
 
After the intermission, the hosts gained momentum right away, as they scored in the 47^th minute, edging in front. Despite the Cavs' efforts to respond, Montreat faced challenges in breaking through TMU's defense. The Cavaliers created opportunities, notably with free kick shots from Sam Aalbue, but the home team's defense held firm. As the period progressed, Truett McConnell scored in the 88^th minute to extend the lead. Ultimately, the two-goal advantage was too far from reach for Montreat, and the match ended with the Bears capturing a 2-0 victory.
 
Weissenfluh made a total of eight saves, facing 10 shots on goal. She stopped a penalty kick in the first period as well. Aalbue attempted the most shots for the Cavs with two, both coming from free kicks in dangerous areas in the second half. Hope Ewing was also credited with a shot attempt.
 
"That was a battle," said head coach Kristin Eggert. "I am so proud of this group and this team. You know something was working if a top-10 team in the country needs to close out a game by going to the corner."
 
Altogether, Montreat took three shots with none of them on frame. Truett McConnell managed to put 10 shots on goal from 17 total attempts. Montreat notched one more corner kick than the hosts (3-2). Each team was whistled for fouls six times. TMU was caught in an offside position four times throughout the 90 minutes.

The Montreat College women's soccer program ends its year with the loss, concluding with an 8-9-1 record overall and a 6-6-1 showing in AAC play.