SWANNANOA, N.C. — The Montreat College men's soccer team soared past the Warren Wilson College Owls, 3-2, on Saturday thanks to another impactful offensive effort. With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 2-0-1, marking their first three-match unbeaten streak to begin a season since 2013. WWC started the year 0-1-0 with the loss.
Early chances eventually paid dividends for the visitors during the initial half of action.
Alejandro Hernandez took the first of the Cavs' 12 corner kicks just 3:30 into the matchup, and
Jared McCall fired a shot just above the crossbar five minutes later. Montreat's breakthrough came in the 12
th minute when McCall rifled a long throw-in into the penalty area. Reading the ball well through the air,
Uros Markovic positioned himself nicely to unleash a powerful header past the goalie and into the net; however, the Owls mustered an answer in less than four minutes, knotting the score at 1-1.
The Cavaliers spent much of the remaining half pushing for a second goal. McCall forced a save midway through the period, and a flurry of corners in the 31
st and 32
nd minutes led to shot attempts from
Gabriel Caskett and Hernandez. Despite the plethora of set pieces, the scoreboard displayed 1-1 entering halftime.
A pair of
Emmanuel Ntimeh goals proved to be the difference in a second half that favored the visiting squad. Another McCall throw-in served as the precursor for Ntimeh's go-ahead tally in the 52
nd minute, while a low cross from
Emilio Ruiz set up the Charlotte, N.C. native's second strike in the 64
th minute. The two goals vaulted Montreat in front, 3-1.
Ethan Grasso also struck the woodwork during the period, further demonstrating the Cavs' aggressive attack.
Warren Wilson didn't go away quietly after falling behind by a pair.
Frankie Zavala stopped one attempt across the final 25 minutes, but the Owls managed to halve the deficit with 12:07 left in regulation. From there, the Cavaliers locked down the match. Two offside flags were all the Owls had to show for their efforts during the last 12 minutes, and Montreat closed out its 3-2 triumph to remain unbeaten.
The stat sheet reflected the Cavs' offensive prowess as the visitors notched more shots (22-8), shots on goal (8-6) and corner kicks (12-1) than the hosts. WWC tallied one more save in the contest (5-4), while Montreat was called for nine more fouls (23-14) and shown five more yellow cards (7-2).
Ntimeh scored twice, including the game-winning goal, and put all three of his shots on target. McCall recorded two assists and added two shots, one of which was on frame. Markovic scored the Cavaliers' first goal with his lone shot attempt. Zavala made four saves over 90 minutes and was credited with the win in his first start of the campaign.
"I was very happy with the way that we performed today," said Head Coach
Michael Bruce. "We played some very exciting offensive soccer. We hope to keep our strong offense going this season while also shoring up a little bit at the back. We are really looking forward to getting started in conference and having a successful season."
The Montreat College men's soccer team now turns its attention toward Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play as it hosts Truett McConnell University on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.
