KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Montreat College men's soccer team closed out its 2026 campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 2-2 draw against Johnson University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup. After trailing by two goals in the second half, the Cavaliers rallied behind a pair of successful penalty kicks to earn a share of the result. With the tie, Montreat finished the season with a 4-7-6 overall record (2-7-3 AAC), while Johnson moved to 8-7-3 (3-6-3 AAC).
Adrian Torres was busy early in the opening half, recording four saves during the initial 11:10, while Emilio Ruiz blocked another try moments later. The Cavs generated opportunities through Oliver Carias Penaloza and Ethan Grasso before the Royals got the scoring started in the 14th minute. Viktor Mladenov nearly found the equalizer shortly afterward, but his attempt struck the crossbar. Alejandro Hernandez also threatened late in the period, hitting the post with 19 seconds remaining. The visitors entered the break trailing 1-0 despite their late opportunities.
Johnson doubled its advantage in the 55th minute, but the Cavaliers responded with increased pressure in the attacking third. Grasso had an attempt saved before Hernandez delivered a corner kick, Jared McCall struck the crossbar and Gabriel Caskett sent a shot high. The Cavs eventually broke through with 23:35 left when Hernandez converted a penalty kick to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Nearly seven minutes later, the Royals were issued a yellow card for a foul inside the penalty area, awarding the visitors another opportunity from the spot. Erikas Kvedaravicius stepped up and converted Montreat's second penalty kick of the afternoon with 16:54 to go, bringing the contest level at 2-2. The away side continued to search for a late winner, with Ruiz and Hernandez taking corner kicks around an Emmanuel Ntimeh attempt that was saved. Torres then came up with a stop in the final minute to preserve the draw.
"The guys worked extremely hard to come back into the game," said Head Coach Michael Bruce. "I feel like this has been the story of our season. It was great to see the seniors that have served the team so well finish up the year and take to the field for the last time. I'm proud of the team for all the work they put in this season, and I am excited about how we can improve for next season."
The Cavaliers finished with a 10-6 advantage in saves and committed 15 fouls. Johnson held the edge in total shots (23-16), shots on goal (12-8) and corner kicks (5-4) while being whistled for 10 fouls.
Torres finished with nine saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal. Kvedaravicius scored on his only shot attempt, while Hernandez registered a goal on three shots, including one on target. Grasso led the Cavs with four attempts, putting two on frame.
The Montreat College men's soccer team officially concluded the 2026 campaign with a 4-7-6 (2-7-3 AAC) record.
