Athens, TN – Will Rogers netted a program record eight goals, while Ty Grooms went 18-23 on faceoffs as the fourth-ranked Patriots defeated Tennessee Wesleyan 18-4 Saturday afternoon at the TWU Athletic Fields.  With the win, UC closes out the regular season with a 12-3 record and improves to 6-3 in conference play.

Rogers finished with eight goals and nine points in the win surpassing the previous record of seven, which was done three times.  Nick Kava added three goals and three assists, while four Patriot players finished with three points apiece.  Grooms scooped a game-high nine ground balls to go along with his career-high 18 faceoffs win.  Ben Martin and Taylor Long combined to scoop 11 ground balls, while Michael Toohey made 10 saves in the victory.

Toohey made an early save before Rogers found Evan Barton for a goal to take the 1-0 lead six minutes into the first quarter.  After the Bulldogs evened the score, the Patriots responded with Barton finding a cutting Nick Kava for the goal to make it 2-1.  The Patriots defense continued to keep Tennessee Wesleyan at bay, while Cumberlands added a pair of goals in the final two minutes of the period to make it 4-1.

Grooms won the first two faceoffs of the second period, both of resulted in goals to extend the Patriots lead to 6-1 with 13:51 left. A couple minutes later, Gabe Schwaiger forced a turnover and scooped the ground ball and on the ensuing transition Maalek Wilson netted an unassisted goal to make it 7-1.  UC added three unanswered goals, including a pair from Rogers to make it 10-1, before Tennessee Wesleyan added two goals cutting the lead to 10-3 at the break.

The Bulldogs added a goal 29 seconds into the third quarter to make it 10-4, however the Patriots defense stepped up from that point holding Tennessee Wesleyan scoreless the rest of the second half.  UC forced 12 turnovers and made seven saves over the final 29 minutes. Cumberlands quickly extended their lead as Lulow intercepted a pass to start the transition as Kava found Chrystian Coleman for a goal giving UC the 11-4 edge.  The Pats added three goals, from three different players to make it 14-4 heading into the fourth quarter.

Both teams traded possession over the first seven minutes of the fourth period until Coleman connected with Rogers for a goal.  Rogers added two more goals, including a man-up goal, before Wilson completed his hat trick for the 18-4 final.

Cumberlands earned the fourth-seed in the AAC tournament and will host the fifth-seed SCAD in the quarterfinals.  The game is slated for Saturday, April 20, at the UC Lacrosse Complex with the game scheduled for 12 p.m.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on the University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.