Williamsburg, KY – In her Cumberlands debut, freshman goalie
Kinga Hebda earn a shutout, while the Patriots tallied a pair of goals for the 2-0 win over St. Thomas Thursday night at the UC Soccer Complex. With the win, the Pats improve to 3-0-2 on the year, while the Bobcats move to 3-3-1.
Hebda made a trio of saves, while the Patriots backline of
Daria Smirnova,
Maliah Mitchell,
Samantha Sokolove, and
Vlada Milovic limited St. Thomas to five shots.
Nicole Araujo and
Letizia Traversone each tallied goals, while Laura Bosca and
Wakana Ose finished with an assist each.
UC controlled the possession early in the contest as Ose and
Evelyn Saldivar each notched shots, however, couldn't convert keeping the match scoreless. The two teams traded possession until Leenah Bigby put a shot on frame, which was handled by Hebda in the 26'. After each team had a shot blocked, Bosca sent a ball forward to Araujo, who got behind the defense and netted her first goal of the season, giving UC a 1-0 lead in the 37'. St. Thomas looked for an answer in the closing seconds of the first half, trying to convert on a cornerkick but Heba made the save to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The Bobcats came out in the second half seeking an equalizer, however, Hebda made a sliding save on a Jade Miller shot to keep UC in front. Cumberlands responded with shots from
Abigail Little and Saldivar, both of which were saved as the score remained 1-0 in the 63'. Both teams made runs over the next 25 minutes of action with neither able to put a shot on frame. In the closing minute of the match, Ose made a strong move to cut towards the box before connecting with Traversone for a goal and the 2-0 final.
Cumberlands returns to the pitch Saturday, September 12
th, when they host #2 Keiser in a rematch of last year national championship game. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. with live video available
here.
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