Marietta, GA – The fourth-seed Patriots netted four first quarter goals, while UC tallied 15 caused turnover to defeat top-seed and second-ranked Webber 12-5 in the AAC Semifinals Friday afternoon. With the win, the Patriots advance to the AAC championship game for the first time since 2023 and improve to 11-3 overall.

Nick Kava led the way for UC with four goals, while Maalek Wilson tallied two goals and an assist.  Mason Miller and Will Rogers each netted two goals.  Owen Hebenstreit, the reigning AAC defensive player of the week, tallied three caused turnovers and a trio of ground balls, while Gabe Schwaiger and Jacob Ingle combined for four caused turnovers and seven ground balls.  Dakota White and Michael Adams combined to 13-20 on faceoffs with nine ground balls as Nathan  Foskey made five saves in the win.

Both teams came out with strong defensive efforts as Gabe Schwaiger and Jacob Ingle notched caused turnovers for the Patriots.  Ingle's caused turnover came on a man-down situation and on the ensuing transition Maalek Wilson netted a goal to put UC in front 1-0.  The Patriots continued with strong defense but struggled to extend their lead until the 4:48 mark when Alex Heck connected with Evan Barton for a goal to make it 2-0.  A couple minutes later, Wilson tallied a caused turnover and connected with Mason Miller for a goal to extend the lead to 3-0.  It was Miller's ninth goal of the season.  Michael Adams won the next faceoff and on that possession Johnathon Vanover put a well-placed shot into the cage giving the Patriots a 4-0 lead.

Webber got on the board five minutes into the second quarter, however, Ingle scooped the ground ball off the faceoff and UC utilized quick passing as Barton found Will Rogers to the answer five seconds later.  Two minutes later, Owen Hebenstreit forced a Warriors turnover which led to Kava dodging and ripping a shot into the lower corner of the cage to make it 6-1 midway through the second quarter.  Nathan Foskey made a big save in the close seconds of the quarter as Cumberlands took a 6-2 lead into halftime.

Owen Hebensteit recorded a pair of caused turnovers in the opening minutes of the third quarter.  The Patriots took advantage of a man-up opportunity as they worked the ball around the offense until Rogers connected with Kava for his second goal of the game making it 7-3 with 9:54 remaining.  Ashton Clayburn added a caused turnover, while Foskey notched a save to keep UC in front 7-3 with four minutes remaining.  In the closing minute of the period, Taylor Long and Ingle both tallied caused turnovers as the Patriots took a four-goal advantage into the fourth quarter.

UC won the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter and on that possession Wilson netted his second goal of the game to make it an 8-3 lead.  Two minutes later, Rogers dodged from behind the cage and place a shot into the upper corner of the cage for a goal making it 9-3.  After a Webber goal, UC responded with consecutive goals from Miller and Kava to make it an 11-4 lead with 9:57 remaining. Foskey added a pair of saves, while Carter Barrett forced a turnover as the Patriots remaining in front 11-5 with six minutes left.  Kava raced past two defenders and netted his fourth goal of the contest with 2:20 remaining to make it a 12-5 lead.  Foskey added a save in the closing minutes for the 12-5 final.

Cumberlands held Webber to their fewest goals in a game since April 28, 2023.   UC outshot Webber 44-22 in the game and scooped 30 ground balls to the Warriors 21.
 
The Patriots advance to the AAC Championship game for the sixth time in program history.  They will face the winner of #2 Reinhardt vs. #3 Keiser on Saturday, April 26^th at 1 p.m. in Marietta, GA.

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