FULL BRACKET

Kansas City, MO – After a quality regular season, men's soccer marches on to the NAIA Opening Round after qualifiers were announced by the national office on Monday afternoon. The Patriots will travel to compete in the Beckley, WV bracket hosted by West Virginia Tech.
 
Coach Chris LeFevre led the Patriots squad to the winningest record of his tenure at 10 wins, six losses and two draws. Against the Mid-South, UC finished third while holding a 5-3 record.
 
LeFevre also leads the Patriots into the history books as UC records their first NAIA Tournament appearance in program history.
 
The Patriots placed 43 balls into the back of the net this season. Cumberlands averaged 2.39 goals per game on 138 shots on goal behind lead-scorer Marvin van der Made, who has 15 goals on the year. Luis Jara Encina and Sergio Infantes Castell combined to contribute 13 more goals in the Patriots favor.
 
Of the goals scored, 31 came assisted from UC's unselfish line-up. Joel Drewery led the Patriots in the statistical category through the season with nine to his name. Meanwhile, Van der Made offered eight key passes as well to help him tally 38 total points on the season.
 
Defensively, the Patriots accumulated eight defensive shutouts with rookie Akililu Zambataro defending the frame. The Italian keeper was instrumental through the year along with the back line, allowing only 14 goals in 15 games. The figure allowed him a 0.90 goals-allowed average, pitting him ranked 25th in the NAIA.
 
Cumberlands is coming off a shootout loss to Lindsey Wilson in the MSC Semifinals over a week ago. After the long break, the Patriots are rested and ready for Opening Round action against the Madonna Crusaders.
 
The Crusaders hold a record of 13-4-3 to date, 10 of the wins having been shutouts. They have netted 32 goals in their 2019 campaign with five apiece credited to Yuri Farkas Guglielmi and Breno Stapcinskas. While not a high-scoring team, Madonna held their opponents to only 10 goals allowed with Joe Smith defending the goal and collecting 72 saves.
 
The only shared opponent between the two teams is Concordia (MI). The Patriots made the drive to Ann Arbor to play the Cardinals, returning home with a 5-0 victory and a Van der Made hat trick. Meanwhile, Madonna dominated Concordia 2-0 in the regular season and 1-0 in the WHAC Tournament Quarterfinal.
 
With a win over Madonna, the Patriots will play again Saturday night against the hosts. The Golden Bears of West Virginia Tech previously traveled to Williamsburg, KY to face Cumberlands, claiming the match-up in a comeback 3-2 stand.
 
Despite a 2-1 edge at the break, the Patriots relinquished a pair of goals in the second half to allow the Golden Bears the win, who were receiving votes at the time. West Virginia Tech now enters the tournament as the #10 seed.
 
Since, West Virginia Tech accumulated 60 goals in 19 games, chalking an overall record of 17-0-2. Jesus Naves, Sergio Sanchez and Luis Alejandro Jaimes each notch at least eight goals to account for almost half of the teams scored this season. Meanwhile, Jorge Martinez led the Golden Bears defensively with 58 saves and 16 goals allowed this season.
 
Madonna received an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to Indiana Tech in the WHAC Tournament final, 1-0. West Virginia Tech, meanwhile, got the automatic berth after tying Rio Grande in the River States final in a 1-1 battle, advancing after going 5-4 in the shootout.
 
Against ranked opponents this season, the Patriots have gone 1-2-2 with the lone win coming in a 1-0 double-overtime battle against then #25 Campbellsville. The Patriots tallied draws against then #21 Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs and later in the MSC Semifinal against #5 Lindsey Wilson.
 
The Patriots will play on Friday, November 22 in Beckley, WV against the Madonna Crusaders. Live stats will be provided through Dakstats, while video broadcast will only be available for Saturday's regional final.
 
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