ATHENS, Tenn. — The Montreat College women's soccer team fell 7-1 to Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup. The Cavaliers held a 5-3 advantage in saves but struggled to contain the Bulldogs' offense. With the result, the Cavs dropped to 4-7-0 overall (2-6-0 AAC), while TWU improved to 7-3-2 (6-3-0 AAC).
Montreat created an early scoring opportunity with Leigh Harpel's corner kick in the third minute, followed by Natalie Hall's shot on target in the sixth. However, Tennessee Wesleyan's goalkeeper made the save. The hsots opened the scoring in the seventh minute, but Jocelyn Stanley nearly responded just 18 seconds later when her shot struck the post. Anna Weissenfluh recorded a save in the ninth minute before TWU added three more goals in the 12th, 23rd and 25th minutes to take a 4-0 lead into halftime.
Hall put two more shots on target early in the second half, but the Bulldogs' goalkeeper denied both attempts. Weissenfluh also made a save as the Cavaliers worked to limit the hosts' attack. The Cavs held firm during an eight-minutes stretch from 56:34 to 64:55 that included three TWU corner kicks and three shots without conceding.
The Bulldogs eventually extended their lead in the 70th minute, but Maddie Ellis answered just 23 seconds later, scoring with 19:57 remaining to put Montreat on the board at 5-1. Tennessee Wesleyan added two more tallies in the 78th and 89th minutes to close out the 7-1 result.
The Cavaliers finished with a 5-3 advantage in saves, while TWU led in shots (23-5), shots on goal (12-4) and corner kicks (7-1).
Ellis scored on her only shot attempt, while Hall led the team with three tries, all of which were on target. Weissenfluh started in goal and recorded three saves in 74:54 of action before AuBrie Pulaski added two saves in 15:06.
Montreat returns home on Monday, Oct. 19, to host Bryan College at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
