Williamsburg, KY - Cumberlands finished out the month of October on a high note as they were able to mount a run and finish second in the first ever Mid-South Conference Rocket League Championship. Overall, UC competed in four contests on the week in two different games, finishing with a record of 2-2.

Rocket League

The Patriots began and ended their week with bouts in Rocket League as they kicked off the week in NACE play while ending things with the MSC tournament. UC's first game came against the Pennsylvania College of Technology on Monday (Oct. 25) resulting in a sweep for Cumberlands. 

UC came out of the gates to found themselves down as they were behind 2-0 with less than two minutes in game number one. A Jackson Moore (oqya.) goal helped cut the deficit to one while Tanner Edelen (Txnr) scored the game-tying goal with 1:05 remaining on the clock, forcing overtime. A third straight goal for UC less than a minute into the extra time by Moore helped secure win number one for the Patriots.

Cumberlands found their groove after the close win in game number one as they defeated the Wildcats 5-2 in game two. It was a total team effort in their three-goal victory as Moore and Eden both had two goals while Ellis Courtland (Goldencourt9 ^-^) finished with one goal and a pair of assists.

The final game of the matchup looked much like the first as overtime was needed to decide a winner. Neither team could find the net through the first four minutes of action as Penn Tech scored the first goal with just 43 seconds remaining. UC kept their cool and responded, knotting things up at one as Edelen swooped in for a score off the back wall with only 15 seconds remaining. Edelen once again played the part of hero for Cumberlands as he scored the game-winning goal in overtime just eight seconds into the extra frame.

UC earned their second sweep of the week when MSC Rocket League playoffs resumed on Friday as they defeated Shawnee State's B team in their semifinals matchup. The Bears held the lead for most of game one, but Cumberlands stayed on the attack and broke through with a goal from Courtland with just one minute remaining on the clock. It took the Patriots only 15 seconds to claim the lead as Edelen fired one in as UC had found their offensive rhythm. 

SSU responded to knot things up at two with less than thirty seconds to force Cumberlands into a third overtime game in the week. Much like their last overtime contest, Edelen scored the winning goal 13 seconds into extra time as he found Moore's cross at the perfect time to take game one.

After the first game it was all Patriots as UC outscored their opponent 9-0 in the final two games (4-0, 5-0). UC seemed to be on the page with every pass and cut as Courtland, Moore, and Edelen all worked together seamlessly. It proved to be too much for Shawnee State's B team as the Patriots advanced to the final round set to duel with SSU's A team.

The Bear's senior team got some revenge for their junior club as they swept Cumberlands in the final round. SSU's A team hadn't dropped a single game coming into the matchup and that streak continued in this one as they were crowned the inaugural conference champions. Despite the loss, UC feels like they have accomplished plenty in a short time.

"We're disappointed we weren't able to get things done, but getting to the championship match is a great milestone for us. We've grown a lot this season and we feel like we're going to be back here next time around." - Assistant Coach Jacob Ball

League of Legends

The Patriots competed in one League of Legends match on the week, falling to the Vanderbilt Commodores. That matchup was played on Tuesday and saw UC take the loss by a final of 2-1. 

Cumberlands opened things up with a commanding win as they beat up on Vanderbilt in game one. The two teams played each other even through the first 20 minutes of action, but from there on out it was all Patriots. By the end of the game, UC had a 32-14 kill advantage with a 10k gold discrepancy.

Unfortunately for Cumberlands they did not have the same kind of success in games two and three of the match as they were defeated by the Commodores. Vanderbilt made the adjustment to be much more aggressive in their attacks and it paid off as they found the Patriots on their heels, taking games two and three.

The Patriots will look to the month of November as they get the new week and month started off on Monday in NACE Rocket League play.

For the latest 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, Twitch- UCPatriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.