BLUEFIELD, Va. – Five different Rams tallied points on Wednesday evening as the Bluefield College men's soccer team took a 3-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference win over visiting Montreat College at the East River Soccer Complex.
 
Bluefield improves to 5-2 on the year and 3-1 in AAC meetings, while Montreat drops to 3-5 and 0-2 in conference play. The Rams also keep a clean record at home, being 4-0.
 
Head coach Chase Neidig's squad put the pressure on early with a shot and a corner kick within the first five minutes of action.
 
The opening goal of the game came in the 9^th minute when BC took advantage of a transition opportunity. Dean Johnson found Benjy Slator at the top of the box, giving Slator the quick advantage and space to find the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
 
The Rams nearly made it 2-0 in the 22^nd minute, but Nikolai Solomon's shot was rocketed off the bottom of the crossbar and cleared by the Cavaliers.
 
BC continued to stifle Montreat and maintain momentum, eventually adding a second goal in the 36^th minute of play. Hector Comacho carried the ball through the middle of the field and served a pass to Andres Palacio on the right side of the box. Palacio gathered the ball and sent a shot to the far post for his second goal of the year.
 
Montreat was held without a shot through the opening 45 minutes of action, while the Rams fired off 14.
 
The Cavaliers' first shot came in the 50^th minute and sailed well high, but ignited a more offensive second half for the visitors.
 
Bluefield continued its own offensive pressure as well, taking five shots in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
 
The seventh shot of the period turned into a goal, as Michael Callaghan found the back of the net, with the assist coming from Slator for the 3-0 lead. Callaghan has now scored a point in each of the last five games.
 
A BC foul set up the Cavalier goal in the 62^nd minute, as George Stanley headed in a free kick from Dale McClelland to make it 3-1.
 
Montreat continued to push hard as the game wound down, but Jefferson Watson held the Rams' lead steady with a pair of strong saves—one being on a point-blank shot and another which he knocked above the crossbar.
 
The Cavaliers outshot BC 12-8 in the second half, but faced a 22-12 margin for the game. However, the shots on-goal margin was much smaller, 6-5 in favor of the Rams.
 
BC had three corner kicks to just one for the visitors. The Rams had 10 fouls to nine for Montreat, while both teams had a pair of yellow cards.
 
Watson picked up the win in net (3-2), making four saves on the evening. Montreat's keeper Brandon Sagaon-Lozada had three saves in the loss.
 
Bluefield's next two games—both AAC matchups—come on the road, as they face Truett McConnell College at 3 p.m., Sunday and Union College at 4 p.m. next Wednesday.