MILLIGAN, Tenn. — The Montreat College women's soccer team extended its winning streak over the Milligan University Buffaloes to seven consecutive matches on Wednesday, seizing a 2-0 final in Tennessee. Both Cavaliers' goals came in the second half as they also notched their third straight clean sheet against the Buffs. With the result, the Cavs improved to 4-6-0 (2-5-0 AAC), while MU dropped to 4-6-2 (3-4-1 AAC).
Montreat created a plethora of early chances, rattling off four shots within a 67-second span roughly five minutes into the contest.
Jocelyn Stanley sent a shot wide, while
Rebeca Cruz Manon and
Maddie Ellis forced saves. Ellis also struck the post during the frenzy, but the visitors couldn't find the swift breakthrough.
Milligan responded with pressure of its own, though
Anna Weissenfluh made a pair of stops to keep the home side off the scoresheet. The Cavaliers mustered another surge later in the period, starting with
Leigh Harpel's corner kick in the 29
th minute.
Kelsey Wiggins fired off four attempts, and both
Hope Ewing and
Natalie Hall placed a try on target; however, neither side managed to reach the back of the net. As a result, the two teams entered the intermission deadlocked at 0-0.
Hall and Weissenfluh proved to be two of the most impactful players on the pitch during Wednesday's match. The former scored twice in the second frame, while the latter totaled five second-half saves to see out a Cavs' win.
In the 55
th minute, Cruz Manon slid a pass to Hall near the left corner of MU's penalty area, and the Jacksonville, Fla., native did the rest. Hall put the visitors in front just 9:03 into the period, spinning and turning before unleashing a long-range strike that beat the Buffaloes' goalkeeper.
Milligan began pushing numbers forward as the contest progressed, but Weissenfluh denied the hosts time and time again. The Buffs got close to leveling the match, hitting the post once and the crossbar twice; however, anything on target failed to beat Montreat's senior goalie.
Hall put the game on ice with 4:20 remaining. Rushing up the left wing on the counter, Hall just narrowly kept the ball in play along the sideline. Her touch beat MU's final defender, and the junior bested the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. From there, the Cavaliers had no trouble seeing out a 2-0 triumph, marking their seventh consecutive win over the Buffaloes and their third straight clean sheet versus Milligan.
"Tonight was a team performance," said Head Coach
Kristin Eggert. "It was a hard-fought, well-earned victory."
As a squad, Montreat finished the day with a season-high 21 shots and a campaign-best 10 shots on goal. The Buffs concluded the matchup with 20 total attempts and seven tries on frame. MU racked up nine corner kicks compared to the visitors' one, and it registered one additional save (8-7). The Cavs were whistled for 12 fouls, while Milligan was called for nine infractions.
Hall scored twice—her second career brace—and put all four of her shots on target. Wiggins led the Cavaliers with five attempts and directed one on goal. Cruz Manon added an assist and finished with four tries, including two on frame. Weissenfluh made seven saves across 90 minutes and recorded the squad's third shutout of the year.
Up next, the Montreat College women's soccer team heads to Athens, Tenn., to face Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
