Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots men's lacrosse team enters the NAIA National Invitational with their highest-seed in program history after earning the third-seed and looking to make the most of this postseason run.  Cumberlands, who is in its eighth season, has posted a winning record every year, qualified for five straight NAIA Invitationals, and has advance to national semifinals in each of their first four appearances.  On Wednesday, UC will look to extend that streak to five straight year, while also tying the program record for wins when they face sixth-seed Concordia.
 
2023 Season:

Cumberlands enters the tournament with a 12-5 record, with seven of those wins coming against teams that were ranked or receiving votes, including three wins over teams that qualified for the national invitational.  The Patriot opened the season on a program-best six game win streak that included wins over national qualifiers Saint Ambrose and Concordia.  UC also notched a five-game win streak towards the end of the season as they advanced to their fifth straight AAC Tournament championship game after knocking off top-seed Reinhardt 12-11 in the semifinals. 
 
The Patriots enter the national invitational excelling on both ends of the field and are ranked in the top-five in the NAIA in six statical categories.  UC is ranked second in the country with 239 caused turnovers on the year, averaging 13.28 per game, while they have scooped 592 ground balls.  Michael Toohey and Nathan Foskey have combined for 211 saves, which is a program record.  Offensively, Cumberlands has tallied 226 goals and 130 assists, which ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the NAIA.
 
Right Mix for Postseason Run:

According to Head Coach Pete Campbell, the 2023 Patriots team is one of the most resilient that he has coached.  That mix of veterans and newcomers have proven to work throughout the season this year and this group has a belief that they are never out of any game.  That was on full display during the AAC semifinals as the Patriots overcame a four-goal fourth quarter deficit with five goals in the final six minutes, including three from Will Rogers, to knock off the Eagles. 

Offensively, UC has seven players that have tallied at least 20 points on the season including their starting attack, which has all surpassed 50 points.  Rogers leads the way with a team-high 32 assists and 65 points in his freshman campaign.  Christian Vanover, the AAC First-Team All-Conference selection, has netted a team-high 46 goals, which is the second most in program history, as he also became the second Patriot player with 200 career points earlier this season.  Tanner Popovich has notched 29 goals and 25 assists, while Dawson Coltran has tallied 39 points, including tallying at least three points in five of the last six games.

Gabe Schwaiger leads the Patriots defense with 34 caused turnovers and 44 ground balls, while the AAC First-Team All-Conference selection Chrystian Coleman has scooped 73 ground balls to go along with 26 caused turnovers.  Coleman has been instrumental for the Patriots with clears as Cumberlands has an 86.6% success rate, which is fourth in the NAIA.  The junior has also had a breakout offensive season with eight goals and ten assists, including tallying a point in six straight games.  Schylar Chapman and Jacob Bush have continued to be solid on Cumberlands backline, while defensive midfielders Taylor Long and Chandler Muth have combined for 45 caused turnovers on the year.
 
2023 Postseason:
 
Cumberlands opens the NAIA Invitational with Concorida, who earned the sixth-seed after earning an at-large berth to nationals.  The Cardinals were the WHAC regular season champions and qualified for their first NAIA Invitational.  This will be the fourth meeting between these two teams as they meet earlier this year in Ann Arbor, MI.  The Patriots came away with a 7-6 overtime win over Concordia as Tanner Popovich connected with Dom Lulow for the game-winning goal with five second remaining in overtime.  Michael Toohey made 11 saves between the pipes, while the UC defense held Concordia to a shot clock violation in overtime to win the ball back and set up the game-winner.
 
The Patriots quarterfinals game is Wednesday at 5 p.m. (ET) in Pensacola, FL.  Live video for the game will be available here.
 
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