McKenzie, TN – The Cumberlands men's soccer team walked off the field in defeat, losing for the first time this season to Bethel University on Saturday evening. Through the 90-minute affair, the Wildcats, ranked 21st in the NAIA, shutout the Patriots 2-0.
 
After 22 minutes of scoreless action, the Patriots looked to go up on the board first with an attack from Sergio Infantes Castell. The ball, notched from 30-yards out, sailed barely wide, squaring up the right post in the upper corner and bouncing back into play.
 
Shortly after, Alejandro Gonzalez put the lone Cumberlands shot of the day on frame, however Bethel came up with the save. The Patriots tallied eight total shots on the evening, all coming off the feet of different players. In addition to Infantes and Gonzalez, Joel Drewery, Nahshon Rullow, Nemanja Jovanovic, Marvin van der Made, Luis Jara Encina and Marco Muca each saw shot opportunities but were unable to convert.
 
Goalkeeper Akililu Zambataro started for the first time in his Cumberlands career, recording two saves on the night. Bethel slipped two goals past the rookie to get the winning edge over the visiting Patriots.
 
As they did last week, UC's back line limited the Wildcats' offensive opportunities, cutting runs short and limiting the home team to 10 shots taken, four of which were on goal.
 
The Patriots have a week to regroup and recover with a road trip to Dayton, TN to take on Bryan College. In the middle of a four-game road-swing, Cumberlands will look to take down the Lions with kickoff at 2 PM.
 
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 and @UCPatsGameDay, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.