Williamsburg, KY – The #13 Cumberlands women's soccer team netted a pair of second half goals to defeat (RV) Columbia 2-0 in the Second Round of the NAIA Tournament. With the win, UC advances to the NAIA Final Site for the sixth straight season, while improving to 14-4-3 on the year.
UC outshot the Cougars 15-4 in the match, including a 9-2 advantage in the second half.
Juana Fernandez Calvo netted her sixth goal of the season, while
Morgan White finished with two saves.
The Patriots came out aggressive as Laura Bosca sent a cross into the box, which deflected off
Nicole Araujo wide of the goal. The Cougars looked to strike in the 14' as Madeleine Shylanski shot went wide, before adding a header in the 16', which was secured by White. The two teams traded possession as
Karla Waibel put a strong shot on frame, which was saved by the Cougars keeper. Cumberlands controlled the possession for majority of the last 20 minutes, rattling off four shots, but didn't convert as the match remained scoreless at the break.
Both teams came out strong in the second half looking to break through.
Noah Paalman and Evelyn Saldiver each notched a shot that was blocked in the 51'. The Patriots broke through in the 55' as Paalman won the possession and fired a shot that ricochet off the crossbar, the ball deflected off a Cougars defender into the net giving UC a 1-0 lead.
Columbia looked for the equalizer as their shot sailed over the crossbar and White made a point-blank save of a Macie Vincent shot keeping the patriots in front.
The score remained 1-0 until the 71' when
Abigail Little sent a cross to Fernandez Calvo, who put a well-placed shot into the left corner of the net extending UC's lead to 2-0. The Patriots notched three shots and a cornerkick over the final 20 minutes to earn their 12
th clean sheet of the season.
Cumberlands advances to the NAIA Round of 16, where they will face the winner of #4 College of Idaho and The Master's. The game is set for Monday, December 1
st with a gametime to be announced later.
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