Lebannon, Tenn. – The University of the Cumberlands #4 Men's Soccer team opened Mid-South Conference play in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon, defeating #13 Cumberland University (Tenn.) 5-0 behind a strong offensive display and stout defending.

The Patriots wasted no time setting the tone. In the 10th minute, Hugo Champalloux tallied his second goal of the season, finishing off a setup from Mario Fernandez Garcia to make it 1-0. Minutes later, Bruno Marques doubled the lead after a feed from Champalloux.

Cumberlands continued to push forward, and in the 44th minute, freshman Leandro Nico Romero netted his first collegiate goal, slotting home a pass from Tjerk Meijs to send the Patriots into halftime up 3-0.

Out of the break, the Patriots kept their momentum rolling. Marques notched his second goal of the match in the 49th minute, converting on Fernandez's second assist of the day. The brace marked Marques' second multi-goal performance of the season and gives him a team-leading five goals on the year.

UC capped the scoring in the 79th minute when graduate student Bruno Garcia found the back of the net for the first time in his career, with an assist by Luca Piazza, sealing the 5-0 result.

The Patriots' defense and goalkeeping proved equally strong, holding Cumberland to just 10 shots—five on frame—while keepers Javiero Izquierdo and Zachary Dean combined for five saves in the shutout.

UC outshot the Phoenix 17-10, including a 9-5 edge in shots on goal, while also earning seven corner kicks. With the win, Cumberlands improves to 1-0 in MSC play.

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