ATHENS, Tenn. — The Montreat College men's soccer team stood tall defensively and capitalized on a late penalty kick to earn a 1-1 draw at Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. With the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) road result, the Cavaliers secured a point in the league standings and moved to 2-6-4 (0-6-2 AAC) on the year. TWU shifted to 7-3-3 (5-1-2 AAC) with the tie.
Goalkeeper
Adrian Torres served a critical role for the Cavs in reaching halftime with both sides still scoreless. The junior from Santo Domingo, Costa Rica registered a trio of saves by the midpoint of the opening frame, delivering stops in the 11
th, 19
th and 22
nd minutes. Tennessee Wesleyan controlled the flow of play in the first half, but Montreat slowly started to work its way into contention.
Ricardas Milasius took the visitors' first shot of the day in the 36
th minute, and he fired off another look with 6:03 left in the period. Both attempts were high, leaving the teams knotted at 0-0 entering the intermission.
The Bulldogs eventually cashed in their possession with the contest's first goal less than 10 minutes into the second half. Eleven minutes later, TWU nearly doubled its advantage, but Torres notched a crucial save to keep the Cavaliers within a goal.
An infraction inside the box with 8:06 remaining in regulation provided Montreat with the window it needed. Freshman
Erikas Kvedaravicius strolled to the penalty spot and struck a shot with confidence. A native of Vilnius, Lithuania, Kvedaravicius found the back of the net and leveled the match at 1-1 with his first career goal.
Tennessee Wesleyan recorded the final three shot attempts of the day, but Torres blocked the lone look that was headed for goal. As the referee signaled the final whistle, the two squads left the pitch with an AAC draw.
"The team put in a huge effort today," said Head Coach
Michael Bruce. "TWU is a very difficult place to visit and leave with any sort of result. The guys should be proud of this performance, and we are looking forward to getting at Bluefield on Wednesday."
The Bulldogs placed six of their 15 shots on target, while Montreat directed one of its three chances on frame. Tennessee Wesleyan took all three corner kicks in the game, while the Cavs accumulated all five saves. The Cavaliers were called for 14 fouls compared to TWU's 10 fouls.
Kvedaravicius delivered the match-tying goal, scoring his lone shot attempt via penalty kick. Milasius proved responsible for the visitors' other two shots. Torres registered five saves over 90 minutes.
Up next, the Montreat College men's soccer team returns to Pulliam Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 21, for an AAC showdown with Bluefield University. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.
