Although Montreat College women's soccer Head Coach Don Maples didn't coach two matches on Wednesday, October 14, he spoke as if he had following the Lady Cavaliers' 4-2 defeat to a powerful Union College squad in a home game played on Wednesday, October 14.Maples witnessed the dual nature his talented but luckless team has displayed this season, as inconsistency again led to countless missed opportunities, defensive lapses, and a disappointing record as the season enters its final month.  The loss dropped Montreat's record to 0-4 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and to 1-8-1 overall.

"During the first half," Maples said, "we generated great chances, moving forward, crossing into dangerous areas, and staying focused defensively.  We created more shots than Union, who is the top team in the AAC."

And the halftime score reflected Montreat's sharp performance, as Kaitlyn Thacker equaled Union's opening goal for a 1-1 tie and then Lucy White converted a pinpoint cross from Rebecca Worley to send the Cavaliers to halftime with a 2-1 lead.
    
Despite Maples' instructions to play the second half with even greater intensity, the Lady Cavaliers backslid into habits that have cost them during this trying season.  Namely, as Maples put it, they "were caught watching the game defensively and became disorganized in midfield and defense."  A slim 7-6 first half shot advantage turned into an 11-3 deficit in the second half, during which Union's elusive Ashley Hall scored 2 goals to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.

Despite pre-game warnings about the dynamic offensive partnership of Hall and teammate Renata Peixoto and an effort to close them down, each scored twice as Union rolled to a 10-2 record overall and 4-0 in the AAC. 

However, the two goals Union allowed matched the most an opponent has scored against them this season, and Bulldog Coach Jason Lanham congratulated the Montreat College team on a strong effort and on the visible progress the Lady Cavaliers program is making. 

Reflecting a similar belief, Maples hopes for two halves of equal effort and concentration as his team travels to Reinhardt College on Saturday, October 17 and believes that if the Lady Cavaliers continue to "compete hard, great things can happen as we close out the season and move into the AAC tournament."