Athens, TN – Despite dominating the match, Cumberlands tied Tennessee Wesleyan 1-1 after 110 minutes. UC led TWU in almost every statistical category including shots (20-5), shots on goals (4-2) and corners (12-3). The lone goal scorer for the Patriots was Luis Jara Encina who scored in the 43^rd minute.

The Bulldogs only managed to get a pair of shots on frame the entire match, but their very first shot of the game was able to find the back of the net. Eight minutes into the game, TWU was awarded a corner kick. Their attempt went long, going past the box, but a Tennessee Wesleyan attacker ran onto the ball and resent it back across the box. This time the ball found a Bulldog who redirected it into the net to go up, 1-0.

Cumberlands did not look diminished by the early opposing goal and instead went on the attack, firing four shots in the opening half. The persistence of the Patriots paid off late in the opening 45 minutes. Joel Drewery was on the right flank where he crossed the ball into the 18-yard box. His ball was lofted into the air and was redirected by a Bulldog defender. The ball then bounced right to Jara Encina, who was just outside the six-yard box and laced the ball with his left foot into the goal.

The momentum from the late first half equalizer, ignited UC into an offensive frenzy. Of their 20 total shots over the four periods, eight came in the second half. The opening 25 minutes of the second half saw Cumberlands rattle off five shots, but none of them were on target. Across the regulation periods, UC had eight corner kicks, with four in each half. One of the Patriots' best chances to score came off a corner in the 85'. Milan Stojanovic took the corner and crossed the ball to Aleksandar Mirkovic just inside the 18-yard box. Mirkovic headed the ball, but it sailed over the cross bar.

Late in the second half, goalkeeper, Akililu Zambataro, was called upon to make a big save to help send the game to overtime. Tennessee Wesleyan was on the attack and fired a shot low into the bottom right corner, but Zambataro, with outstretched arms, kept the ball from going into the net in the 90'.

With the game tied up at one goal a piece after 90 minutes the game went to overtime. The Patriots looked to have the golden goal just seven minutes into the first overtime period, but it was waived off for offsides. Drewery once again sent the ball into the box, this time to Mirkovic who soared into the air, smashing the ball into the net with his head. However, the line referee ruled Mirkovic was a step ahead of the defense, nullifying the goal.

UC stayed dominant in the match, not allowing the Bulldogs to issue a single shot during the overtime periods. The Patriots had eight shots of their own and almost looked to have the winning goal in the 109'. Liam Healey saw an open lane in the middle of the pitch and took a touch to get open in front of goal. He shot the ball to the bottom right corner, but Tennessee Wesleyan's goalkeeper was up for the challenge and tipped the ball wide, out of harm's way.

Since neither team could score a goal in the overtime periods the game ended in a 1-1 draw. This marks the third time in five years that UC has started the season with a 1-1 tie.

Cumberlands will have another tough opponent for their second game of the season, against #14 Indiana Tech on September 5. The game will be UC's home opener, with kickoff set for 2 pm. Live stats for the game can be found here with live video here.

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