Williamsburg, KY – After their first Mid-South Conference match has been postponed, the ninth-ranked Cumberlands Patriots fell short against the 18th-ranked Bethel Wildcats, 0-1. Strong defensive efforts from the Pats were unable to hold the Wildcats at bay in their first MSC match of the season.
Collectively, UC tallied 13 shots with 3 being on frame. Salvador Martinez led the way with four shots while Mario Fernandez Garcia had three shots of his own.
In the first half, the Wildcats were first to strike on the offensive half with a blocked shot and another shot just wide. The Pats retaliated with a pair of shots off the boot of Salvador Martinez.
UC continued to strike with productive shots, seeing Martinez wind up for a bicycle kick but missing just high. Mario Fernandez Garcia marked his first shot of the game that was laced just right of the goal.
In the '28, the Patriots had a prime opportunity with a corner kick from Emil Skursch that found the boot of Fernandez Garcia but was blocked by a strong Wildcats defense.
At the end of the first half, a handful of substitutions for Cumberlands held the Wildcats scoreless headed into the half.
At the start of the second half, a corner kick from Skursch set up Shuma Sasaki for the UC lead, but a phenomenal save from Wildcats goalie kept the score even.
In the '54, Sasaki once again had another chance to capture the lead but missed just high of the goal. Another corner kick off the boot of Skursch was sliced low into the box, but a late handball turned possession back over to the Wildcats.
Bethel was resilient on offense, but strong defensive efforts led by Bart-Jan Braams and Gerard Liao kept the Wildcats from marking shots on frame. A critical, diving save from Javiero Izquierdo Cuervo came in the '70 to hold Bethel scoreless.
In the '76, a leaping save from Izquierdo Cuervo stopped the Wildcats, but the reflection of Izquierdo Cuervo led Bethel to take a 1-0 advantage over the Patriots.
In the 80th minute, a shot across the box from Sasaki to Braams set Braams up for a beautiful header until a diving save from the Wildcats goalie held UC scoreless.
In the final minutes of play, UC was attacking on the offensive third of the pitch but was unable to muster the equalizer and fell just short, 0-1.
Cumberlands hits the road next Friday, October 11th for their next Mid-South Conference matchup against Campbellsville University. The match is set for 8:00 p.m. (EST) in Campbellsville, KY.
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