Beckley, WV - Patriots men's soccer closed the books on their 2019 campaign on Friday, falling to Madonna 1-0 in the opening round of the NAIA National Championship.

West Virginia Tech hosted the bracket which drew the Patriots in a match-up against the Crusaders in the opening round, with the winner set to face the Golden Bears on Saturday. UC was held off the board, tallying only one shot in the match and three corner kicks in the loss. Madonna notched 15 shots, placing eight on frame, including the lone goal of the contest. The Crusaders move on to play WV Tech on Saturday with the winner moving on to the next round in California.

Within the first four minutes, Joel Drewery placed a shot on frame within the box that was saved by the Madonna keeper. Drewery's attempt would be the lone shot of the first half for UC, while his corner kick were one of two for the Patriots in the first period.
 
Defensively, the Patriots were able to control the opening minutes of the first period, not allowing Madonna a shot until the 27'. The Crusaders sent their first shot with 18:31 left in the half, placing three more on frame before halftime. In the final minute, MU's Yuri Farkas Guglielmi sent a rocket from just outside the box that found the back of the net for the lone goal of the contest.

The second half was a defensive battle that opened with the Crusaders firing five shots in the first 25 minutes. Offensive opportunities were scarce for UC in the second half due to heavy defensive pressure in the midfield by the Crusaders. The Patriots were unable to attack from within the box, not seeing a shot for the last 45 minutes.

In his 16^th start, Patriots keeper Akililu Zambataro managed seven saves on 15 shots faced while fending off a multitude of Crusader crosses into the box.
 
The loss marks the end of the 2019 campaign for UC men's soccer, after a season that carried the Patriots to its first NAIA postseason appearance in program history. The Patriots 10-7-2 season is the winningest of Coach LeFevre's four-year tenure. In conference play, the Patriots finished above .500 for the fourth-straight season with a 5-3-0 mark. As a team, UC fired 138 shots on frame in 2019, converting on 43 for their highest goal total since the 2011 season.

All-Conference man Marvin van der Made led the Patriots offensively with 15 goals in his senior season. The Netherlands native also earned MSC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice in 2019, including the NAIA honor once.

Keeper Zambataro wrapped up his impressive freshman campaign with one NAIA and three conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Zambataro captured 53 saves for a 77% save percentage in 16 starts. The rookie was also an NAIA leader having allowed 0.91 goals per game.

Cumberland's men's soccer looks on to the program's 27^th season in 2020 which will be the fifth for head coach Chris LeFevre. The Patriots say good bye to seniors Nashon Rullow, Kelshall Alexander Jr., Smith Pepper, and Van der Made while a plethora of returners look to build on this season's success.

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