BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— After a nearly two-hour delay due to inclement weather, the Montreat College men's soccer team secured its first win of the 2025 campaign by defeating the Bob Jones University Bruins. The home match at Pulliam Stadium on Saturday ended in a 4-2 triumph.
Although the weather didn't cooperate early, the Cavs didn't let that rain on their parade. The Cavaliers (1-7-1) snatched an early lead as
Ethan Grasso scored just three minutes into the game.
Drake Fowler was credited with the assist for leading Grasso into a dangerous area on the right wing. The Bruins answered five minutes later to equalize. Montreat regained the advantage in the 15
th minute when
Emmanuel Ntimeh found the net.
Kevin Palacios and
Sako Mo assisted on the goal. Montreat finished the half on top, 2-1.
Each squad took seven shots in the frame and was awarded five corner kicks. Bob Jones was called for six fouls while Montreat was whistled for three in the period.
BJU leveled the score less than five minutes into the second half, but the Cavs weren't done. Ntimeh scored for the second time in the 53
rd minute when
Josiah Garrett found
Emilio Ruiz down the left wing. Ruiz slotted a pass across the face of goal, leaving Ntimeh with nothing but a wide-open opportunity that he didn't miss. The goal proved to be Ntimeh's third of the week, and he now leads the Cavaliers in the scoring category with three.
But still, Montreat stayed on the gas pedal. On a corner kick in the 61
st minute,
Predrag Grbovic found the noggin of Fowler, who powered the ball past the Bruins' goalkeeper. The scoring effort marked the first goal for the senior in his Montreat career. Bob Jones (2-4-1) ran out of time to respond, and Montreat held firm to secure its first victory of the season, 4-2.
Ntimeh earned the first brace of his Cavalier career with two goals and ended with three shots on target. Grasso and Fowler each scored one as well. Grasso finished with four shots, and Fowler concluded his day with two. Five different Cavs were credited with an assist. Garrett, Grbovic, Mo, Fowler and Palacios all recorded the statistic. Between the sticks,
Adrian Torres made six saves while facing eight shots on goal during the match.
"As soon as I get those chances, I shoot," said the freshman Ntimeh. "My teammates and coaches are great about giving me that confidence to keep shooting, and today it worked."
Collectively, Montreat tallied 18 shots with 12 on target. The visitors accrued 17 shots with eight on frame. Four goals marks the most in a match this season for the Cavs. Montreat came into today with a total of four goals and doubled its season total in just 90 minutes. The 12 corner kicks for Montreat were also a season high, while BJU earned seven.
"Today's match was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders," said head coach
Michael Bruce. "Our team worked hard on our offense this week, and switching our formation to bring more numbers forward seemed to pay off today. We hope to take this momentum and use it in our next conference game on Saturday."
Up next, the Cavaliers will host the Reinhardt University Eagles for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on Sept. 27. The Homecoming & Family Weekend contest is set to kick off at 4:30 p.m. at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C.
