BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — The Montreat College men's soccer team earned a 4-0 victory over Bluefield University on Wednesday in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup at Pulliam Stadium. The Cavaliers scored all four goals before halftime and held the Rams scoreless to register their first clean sheet of the season. With the result, Montreat improved to 3-6-4 overall (1-6-2 AAC), while BU fell to 2-11-1 (0-9-0 AAC).
The hosts converted their early pressure into a four-goal advantage before the break. The Cavs recorded the first four shots and garnered an early corner kick before Alejandro Hernandez, assisted by Jared McCall and Emmanuel Ntimeh, opened the scoring merely 16:23 into the contest. Ricardas Milasius extended the lead with goals in the 27th and 31st minutes. Ethan Grasso and Adrian Torres assisted on the latter of those two tallies.
Torres made a save on the Rams' attempt late in the period to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. Montreat then earned five corner kicks during a four-minute stretch, producing three additional shots before Erikas Kvedaravicius converted a penalty kick with 3:02 remaining to complete the first-half scoring.
The Cavaliers continued to create opportunities after halftime, firing off four shots and totaling three corner kicks from Jose Solano between the 47th and 53rd minutes. Milasius forced a save during that same stretch, while Braian Velasquez had two attempts blocked and Avery Burkhart sent a shot high.
Bluefield generated several chances midway through the second half, including a dangerous sequence in the 70th minute. Torres stopped one attempt while the other shot was credited as a team save thanks to Uros Markovic's defending on the goal line. The Cavs maintained their clean sheet while creating additional opportunities through Oliver Carias Penaloza, Diego Silvano, Greg Arce and Markovic. Sako Mo attempted a penalty kick in the 90th minute, but his try was saved. The hosts ultimately closed out the 4-0 result.
"The guys were clinical tonight," said Assistant Coach Adam Lund. "I feel like all season we have been generating chances, so it was good to put some in the back of the net and give some other guys an opportunity to get on the field."
Montreat finished with advantages in shots (23-9), shots on goal (10-5) and corner kicks (11-2). The Cavaliers committed 10 fouls, while the Rams were whistled for 14 and held a 6-5 edge in saves.
Milasius paced the offense with two goals, putting all five of his shots on target. Hernandez added a goal on four attempts, including two on frame, while Kvedaravicius converted his only shot from the penalty spot. Torres played all 90 minutes, recorded four saves and earned the shutout while registering the first assist of his career.
The Cavs return to the pitch tomorrow by traveling to Bob Jones University for their second match in as many days. Kickoff for the nonconference finale is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
