Orange Beach, AL - The eighth-seeded Patriots season came to a close after falling to ninth-seeded Westmont College 3-1 on Tuesday at the NAIA Final Site.  UC finished the season with a 16-6-2 record after advancing to the NAIA Final Site for the second straight year.

Cumberlands was on the attacking early in the match, tallying three corner kicks and a shot within the first three minutes. The Patriots continued to put pressure on the Warriors defense, but couldn't tally a goal to show for it. In the tenth minute of the match UC was using their backline to switch the field, but a misplayed ball allowed Westmont to take an early lead in the match. The Warriors offense would continue to put pressure on the strong Cumberlands defense. In the 15^th minute of the match, the Warriors were able to tally their second goal of the game off of a throw in from the left corner of the field.

During the 24^th minute of the match the Patriots looked to have a chance to cut into the Warriors lead. Jayden Boelter received a ball on the offensive end for UC, but her shot went just left of the goal. In the 29^th minute of the match, Alba Lorca got behind the defense and was one-on-one with the Westmont goalie. Lorca fired a shot at the goal but the goalie was able to keep it from going into the net. Lorca continued to use her speed to put pressure on the Westmont defense. She tallied her second shot of the match in the 34^th minute, but the Warrior goalie made another great save to keep Cumberlands off the scoreboard.

Both teams came out aggressive to start the second half which limited the offensive opportunities for both teams. In the 73^rd minute, the Patriots were able to cut into the Warriors lead. Laura Navajas-Marin sent a pass out wide to Boelter who used her speed to push the ball into the right corner. Boelter sent a cross in to Lorca who fired a shot past the diving Westmont goalie and into the back of the net. The goal is Lorca's first of the season and also marks UC's first goal at the NAIA Final Site.



The Westmont offense was able to respond quickly to the Patriots goal and regained their two goal lead a minute later in the match. Cumberlands tried to counter with their own goal, tallying three shots right after the Warriors goal. The best opportunity was when Navajas advanced the ball into the 18 yard box and fired a shot of the goal, but the Westmont goalie was able to make a great stop to keep the score at 3-1.

The Patriots outshot Westmont in the final 20 minutes of the match, but was never able to convert on their chances to cut into the Warriors lead. Westmont advances to the NAIA Quarterfinals and with face top-seeded William Carey on Thursday.

Cumberlands finished their season at the NAIA Final Site for the second straight year after winning the Siloam Springs Opening Round Bracket. The team also finished the season Mid-South Conference Tournament runner-up, and broke a few program records. The UC defense recorded 15 shutouts on the year which is the most in program history.

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 & @UCPatsGameday, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – CumberlandsPatriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.