Beckley, WV – Forward
Alejandro Gonzalez scored his first collegiate goal but University of the Cumberlands men's soccer suffered a 2-1 setback at (RV) WVU Tech on Wednesday night.
Much of the first half was a defensive struggle with Cumberlands (2-1-1) not registering a shot for the first 30 minutes of the match. However, the Patriots made the most of their first shot on goal — scoring in the 31' minute to take a 1-0 lead over WVU Tech (4-0-1). Midfielder
Joel Drewery dribbled across midfield and played a through ball ahead that found Gonzalez, who finished into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal. The Golden Bears held a 5-1 edge in shots, including a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal in the half. However, the Patriots' backline of
Renato Skoko,
Nemanja Jovanovic and
Joel Caldwell prevented the Golden Bears from getting quality opportunities, while goalkeeper
Clement May (1-1-1) stopped the shots that did make it on net to give the Patriots the 1-0 advantage at halftime.
WVU Tech scored twice in the second half to hand Cumberlands the 2-1 defeat. Gavin Shiels scored the game-tying goal in the 62' minute from 35 yards out and Sergio Sanchez assisted on the play. The Golden Bears kept applying pressure and scored the eventual game-winning goal less than ten minutes later. Eduardo Gutierrez sent a cross into the box that was headed in by Antonio Fernandez Castano in the 70' minute. The Patriots were outshot 8-1 in the second half and were unable to mount a comeback as time ran out.
May made five saves in the match for the Patriots, while Jose Domingo Xam-Mar (4-0-1) did not make a save for the Golden Bears.
The loss ends UC's three-match unbeaten streak to begin the season.
The Patriots return to action against Midway University at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the UC Lacrosse/Soccer Complex. Live video is available
here, while live stats are available
here.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots, Instagram - @UCPatriots, SnapChat - @UC_Patriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
