Williamsburg, KY – Men's soccer's win streak ended at three after a Saturday afternoon loss to West Virginia Tech. After leading at the half, the Patriots saw difficulty and could not recover, offering a 3-2 final score on home turf.
 
The Patriots offered a 2-1 lead at the half following back-to-back goals by the home team. In response to the Golden Bears getting an early edge in the fifth minute, Milan Stojanovic scoped out a clearing attempt to easily place a goal on the empty net.
 
Following the equalizer, the Patriots continued to battle in the physical contest. Liam Healey registered his first goal of his career, finding clean pass from Marvin van der Made. With great vision, Miguel Reis offered a long cross up field for van der Made to allow Cumberlands to capitalize on the offensive push.
 
The Patriots were held to 10 total shots attempted on the day, only four of which landed on frame. Stojanovic netted his second career goal, his first being in the season opener. Van der made continues to lead the team after he tallied his fifth season assist, while Reis notched his third.

Reis was one of several Cumberlands men attempting to move the ball up field in the final moments of the game to go into overtime, but was able to do so. In the process, the junior was caught offside twice in the match.
 
The Golden Bears scored the first goal of the contest in the fifth minute, breaking keeper Akililu Zamabatro's shutout streak. On pace to finish ahead at the half, poor defensive judgment proved costly for the Patriots, as an own goal by Kelshall Alexander Jr. equalized the match again.
 
Saturday marked the first time the Patriots had trailed to their opponent since their match-up with Bethel on August 24. From there, the Patriots won three straight while outscoring their opponents 9-0.
 
Cumberlands struggled to defend against corner kick threats in the entire game, as the first West Virginia Tech goal came from the far side cross, as did the final. With the cross coming in at the 83-minute mark, Zambataro picked up a save against the opposing pressure, but was only able to bat it back into play. Joel Drewery picked up a team save on a subsequent attempt on an open goal but was not able to do so again.

Physicality and aggressiveness on both sides of the ball proved to impact play in the pivotal game as the Patriots looked to avenge last year's 2-1 loss to the Golden Bears. The opposing team walked off the field with five yellow cards, meanwhile van der Made picked up one himself late in the game and Stojanovic was gifted the Patriots first red card of 2019.
 
The Patriots tally only their second loss of the season after the 3-2 loss to the undefeated Golden Bears. Now 4-2-0 on the year, the Patriots winning streak of three, which had started after the first loss to the Bethel Wildcats, has fizzled out.
 
Saturday's match was the first of three home stands for the Patriots. The men will host the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs in a night-game thriller on September 21, kicking off at 7 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.