Atlanta, GA – #20 Cumberlands Men's Soccer concluded their weekend trip to the NAIA Atlanta Classic with another dominating win over #12 Keiser University, 3-0. The Patriots posted two, shutout victories over the weekend against NAIA Top 25 opponents. In the match against Keiser, an offensively led first half saw Salvador Martinez and Shuma Sasaki net a goal apiece. The second half saw Martinez record the brace and secure the victory for the Pats.
Collectively, UC tallied 24 shots with nine being on frame. Martinez led the way with two goals and six shots with four being on frame. Sasaki followed with one goal, five shots, and one on frame. Bart-Jan Braams, Patrick Ostergreen, Adrian Choco, and Rodrigo Riveros each tallied an assist.
The Pats started the first half on the defensive end of the field before Antonis Seraphides recorded UC's first shot of the day in the 13'. In the 20th minute, Cumberlands had their first prime opportunity with a shot from Sasaki that hit the post followed by a shot from Martinez that was blocked by Keiser.
UC quickly transitioned to the offensive portion of the pitch, seeing a shot from Choco in the 33rd minute that missed off the post. In the 34', Emil Skursch set up for a corner kick for the Pats and delivered the ball into the box. Braams headed the ball towards the goal but was blocked by a Keiser player. Martinez took advantage of the situation and netted UC's first goal of the day for a 1-0 advantage.
In the 41', a pass up field from Choco to Ostergreen set Sasaki up for his first goal of the season and helped elevate the Patriots to a 2-0 lead right before the half.
At the start of the second half, UC was quick to return to offense with a Riveros header attempt in the 47'. In less than a minute, Riveros sent a pass back across the box to Martinez, seeing him record the brace and jump UC ahead, 3-0.
The Pats out shot the Seahawks 13 to seven in the second half but were only able to tack on one additional goal. In the final minutes, UC had to work hard on defense to hold the Seahawks scoreless and walked away with the 3-0 victory.
UC will be back in action in just five days' time, on Saturday, in Williamsburg, KY against Life University. The match is set for 3:30 p.m. (EST) inside the UC Soccer Complex.
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