Campbellsville, KY – Kinga Hebda made four saves while
Nicole Araujo converted the championship clinching penalty kick as the second-seed and #4 Patriots women's soccer team capture the 2026 Mid-South Conference Tournament championship Tuesday night at Finley Stadium. It marks Cumberlands third MSC Tournament Title in program history after they tied Campbellsville 1-1 before outscoring the Tigers 2-0 in penalty kicks.
Laura Bosca de Pedro led the way for UC with a goal, while
Evelyn Saldivar and Ines Martin Garcia tallied assists.
Morgan White made two saves during regulation and overtime, before Hebda came in for the pk's and stop all four shots she faced.
Campbellsville looked for an early strike, however,
Morgan White came up with the save, keeping the match scoreless. The Patriots struck first as
Evelyn Saldivar passed the ball to Ines Martin Garcia, who used a one-touch pass to send the ball forward, where
Laura Bosca de Pedro got behind the defense and fired a shot into the goal giving UC the 1-0 lead. It marks Bosca's team-leading tenth goal of the season. The Tigers looked for the equalizer tallying a corner kick and a shot over the next few minutes, however Cumberlands defense turned them away. The two teams traded possession until the 29' when
Wakana Ose put a shot on frame, however, the Tigers keeper punched it over the crossbar keeping the score at 1-0. UC notched three shots, including one from
Abigail Little, which was on frame as Cumberlands took the 1-0 lead into the break.
The Tigers put a shot on frame early in the second half, however, White cleaned it up. A few minutes later, Cumberlands looked to extend their lead as Bosca's shot deflected off the post. Bosca and Martin Garcia put a shot on frame, which were saved keeping the score 1-0 in the 59'. Campbellsville evened the score in the 64' scoring off a corner kick tying the score at 1-1. Cumberlands looked to regain the lead, however, the Campbellsville defense blocked a pair of shots keeping the game tied in the 80'. UC earned a pair of corner kicks, however, couldn't capitalized as they match remained tied 1-1 forcing overtime.
In the first overtime period, the Patriots dominated the possession, rattling off five shots, several of which just missed the goal as the match remained even. Campbellsville notched two corner kicks and a pair of shots, which were blocked by UC's defense, in the second overtime to force penalty kicks.
In penalty kicks, Hebda deflected Campbellsville's first shot before Martin Garcia stepped up and put a well-placed shot into the net, giving UC the 1-0 lead. Hebda made three more save as the Patriots remained ahead 1-0 until Araujo slid a shot just inside the post to clinch the championship for Cumberlands.
Cumberlands (10-2-5) secures an automatic berth into the 2026 NAIA Tournament field. UC outshot Campbellsville 22-12 in the match and held an 10-8 advantage on corner kicks.
The Patriots will now await the NAIA Women's Soccer selection show, which is slated for Friday, November 13, at 6 p.m. through the
NAIA's Youtube page. The first & second rounds of the NAIA Tournament are set for November 19-21 at sites throughout the country.
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