Cumberland women ease past Baker in season opener

Aug. 19—BALDWIN CITY, Kan. — After securing the lead early, No. 15 Cumberland never looked back as the Phoenix women opened their soccer season in commanding fashion with a 5-0 win Thursday.

Peppering the defense with shots in the early proceedings, it took just six minutes for Brenna Swiger to open up her account for the season. Lucia Mei sent a ball down the wing to Swiger, who placed her shot in the top right corner, just inches away from the crossbar.

Only defending a single shot in the whole first half, Cumberland mounted pressure on the Wildcats that they struggled to cope with.

Before the first half came to a close the Phoenix made certain to grow their lead. Just a minute after subbing in in the 30th minute, Evelyn Jimenez sent a scorching shot off the crossbar and in the back of the net.

Following that effort up just two minutes later, Mari Sagstad scored her first goal as a Phoenix. Evelyn Jimenez sent a cross into the box that Marie Bathe headed into space and Sagstad quickly dispatched into the back of the net.

The second half saw the Wildcats surging after kickoff, Cumberland however did well to put themselves back in the driver's seat. After a foul in the Phoenix's defensive third, Ella Tuplin delivered a free kick which Brenna Swiger put on a platter for Gabby Jones to run onto and score her first goal of the season.

Scoring did not stop there though as Mari Sagstad added yet another goal to the Phoenix's tally, giving her a brace on her debut game.

While holding onto their first shutout of the season, Cumberland gave away a penalty in the second to last minute of the game. Stepping up in heroic fashion, Sabrina Graziano dove to her right and batted away the attempt by Darcy Cato.

Once the final whistle had sounded, the Phoenix had the edge in the box score as well as team stats. Cumberland defended just three shots on goal while putting four times that many on the Baker defense.

Cumberland will continue its road swing as the Phoenix travel to face off against Bryan College at 10 a.m. today.

CU women's soccer ranked No. 15 in NAIA preseason poll

Cumberland's women will begin the 2023 soccer season at No. 15 in the NAIA top 25 coaches' poll, announced by the national office Wednesday.

The Phoenix finished last season at No. 17 in the final polls following a 13-5-1 season. The team had a big NAIA Opening Round win over Briar Cliff but fell short in the finals to current No. 1 ranked Spring Arbor. Cumberland totaled 47 goals in 28 matches last season and was 12th in the nation for assists with 58.

The Phoenix are one of three Mid-South Conference teams ranked in the top 25, with the University of the Cumberlands leading the pack at No. 4 and Campbellsville trailing behind the Phoenix at No. 20. Lindsey Wilson stands in the receiving votes category.

Cumberland has three games slated with top-20 teams, two of which will be big conference matches on the Phoenix's home field at Lindsey Donnell Stadium.

The Phoenix officially kicked off the season Thursday at Baker University. The team will have a quick turnaround with a game at Bryan College on at noon today.

Men receive votes

After an impressive first campaign under new head coach Shane Keely's guidance, the Cumberland men's soccer program received votes to be ranked nationally in the NAIA preseason top-25 coaches' poll, which was announced by the national office Wednesday.

While they were ranked or receiving votes for four consecutive polls last season, the Phoenix reached a peak of No. 21 in the nation, during a streak of 11 games in a row without a loss. In what was a pivotal game to continue the streak that would see the Phoenix ranked, CU knocked off Lindsey Wilson 3-1 on Sept. 25.

They then followed that up with three large victories in a row where they outscored Mid-South Conference opponents 13 goals to 4.

Three other Mid-South foes also received votes or were ranked nationally, all of which Cumberland beat or tied with last season.Lindsey Wilson comes in ranked No. 5 after the Blue Raiders had a deep run in the national tournament following their MSC tournament championship. Bethel also ranks within the top 25, sitting at No. 4 in the rankings, while Cumberlands fell just short of a ranking but received votes.

The Phoenix will face off against four opponents ranked in the preseason poll, first of which will be Milligan University on Aug. 25 in their first official game of the season.

Cumberland will have to wait until Sept. 23 for the conference opener however, when the Phoenix host Freed-Hardeman University at Lindsey Donnell Stadium.

Azar, Coyne, Lyons represent CU in MSC men's soccer watch list

Mid-South Conference officials have announced this upcoming season's men's soccer watch list, which has Jon Azar, Cathal Coyne and Robbie Lyons representing Cumberland University.

Conference coaches each submitted three players whom they anticipate will have a significant impact on their teams' successes this upcoming season.

Azar is one of the veterans of Phoenix soccer, having already cemented himself as a mainstay at CU. He's started 43 games in his career while accruing 36 career points in that time, and will be looking to add onto that this season.

Coming in and making an impact since he became a Phoenix, Coyne received high praise from teammates and opponents alike. The Irish standout was recognized as a second-team all conference member after he registered a pair of both assists and goals alike, all while being a rock at the back.

Lastly, in a season where he was voted as a first-team all conference member, it's hard to argue that many players had a much larger impact than fellow Irishman Lyons. Not only a standout in front of the goal, but also as a magnificent team player, Lyons registered 13 goal contributions which was tied for the most on the team.

Bathe, Morris, Sagstad named to MSC women's watch list

Cumberland's Marie Bathe, Grace Morris and Mari Sagstad have been named to the Mid-South Conference 2023 women's soccer watch wist, announced Thursday afternoon by the league office.

Two of the big returners for Cumberland coming into this season are two-time NAIA All-American Bathe and two-time Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Year Morris. Both have been instrumental over their career in the success on the field for the Phoenix. Bathe has been a prolific player with a knack for finding ways to put the ball in the net while Morris has anchored the back line for Cumberland over the past two seasons.

Bathe is entering her fifth season with the Phoenix as a midfielder from Freiburg, Germany. She brings a heap of experience to the Cumberland team playing in 74 career games and four consecutive NAIA National Tournaments. She has collected 24 career goals with 48 career assists.

Bathe will have help as the Phoenix brought in the reining Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Sagstad as a transfer from Cardinal Stritch. Sagstad last season tallied 17 goals and 13 assists to propel her to NAIA All-American honorable mention honors.

Over the course of two seasons with Cardinal Stritch, Sagstad helped lead the Wolves to the CCAC conference tournament championship and the NAIA National Tournament all while scoring 29 goals, 19 assists and 77 points.

Morris returns to anchor the back line for the Phoenix. She helped Cumberland post seven shutouts last season while also helping out on goal-scoring opportunities. The junior from Llandysul, Wales scored five goals in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.

The trio will look to help lead Cumberland back to the NAIA National Tournament this season with goals of going further than any team in the program's history.