CLEVELAND, Ga.— Montreat's men's soccer team opened its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate on Saturday night at the Truett McConnell University Bears. Lightning delayed the kickoff of the competition by over three hours, and the Cavs fell by a final score of 4-0. With the loss, the Cavaliers dropped to 0-5-0 (0-1-0 AAC). Truett McConnell improved to 2-2-0 (1-0-0 AAC) with the win.
 
The Bears got on the board first with a goal in the fifth minute of the game. The hosts doubled their lead five minutes later, bringing the score to 2-0 over Montreat. Emilio Ruiz and Ethan Grasso were unable to find the net after a pair of shots in the first half. With five minutes left in the frame, TMU scored its third goal of the match. They also put a fourth goal into the net with six seconds remaining in the period.
 
At the break, Montreat goalkeeper Adrian Torres totaled three saves. The Cavs took five shots, three of them on target. Montreat committed seven fouls while TMU collected 14. Each team was awarded one corner in the period. The Bears were called offside twice compared to the Cavaliers.
 
Frankie Zavala started the second half of play in net for the visitors. He made five saves without giving up a goal in his performance between the sticks. Despite Montreat's attempts to break through offensively, with shots by Alejandro Hernandez and Jose Solano, neither team could find the back of the net, resulting in the 4-0 defeat.
 
After 90 minutes of action, Truett McConnell owned edges in shots (20-9) and shots on goal (12-5). Each side earned three corner kicks.
 
Ruiz recorded two shots on goal for Montreat, contributing significantly to the team's offensive efforts. Hernandez also made his presence felt with two shots, including one on goal.

"Tonight was a tough loss," said head coach Michael Bruce. "There were encouraging signs, especially in the second half. It's unfortunate that we picked up a few more injuries tonight. We hope to get patched up and be ready to fight again on Wednesday."
 
The next challenge for the Cavaliers takes them to Barbourville, Ky., where they will face Union Commonwealth University. The AAC match is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. as Montreat once again steps onto the field as the visiting team.