Five Phoenix women score in 5-0 win at Pikeville

Sep. 2—PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Cumberland's women scored early and often Wednesday as they took down former Mid-South Conference opponent Pikeville on the road, 5-0.

The Phoenix were dominant offensively and defensively as they fired 38 shots in the match with 18 of them on goal. Cumberland refused to let Pikeville even take a shot in the match with stingy defense on the back half. The Phoenix controlled the pace of play all match keeping the ball on the Pikeville half of the field majority of the time.

Five different Phoenix got in on the scoring action as Mari Sagstad, Miku Kayama, Brenna Swiger, Brenda Cernas and Hailey Burroughs each scored a goal. Zoe Collyer was phenomenal in the second half notching three assists.

Cumberland scored in the first five minutes of the match after Cernas fired a shot. A Bears defender, trying to protect herself, threw her hand up and was called for the handball allowing Sagstad to step up and knock down the penalty kick for the early lead.

In the 23rd minute, Kayama netted her first goal as a Phoenix to push the lead out to 2-0 at the halfway point in the first half.

The score stood there at half as the Phoenix had some chances to push it even further, but some unlucky breaks as a few shots ricocheted off the post and the crossbar.

In the second half, Swiger scored in the 54th minute as the Phoenix kept on cruising. Evelyn Jimenez played the ball down the far sideline to Collyer, she crossed it to the top of the box where Swiger spun around and fired the shot for the goal.

Swiger then set up the next Cumberland goal as she intercepted a pass and played it forwarded to Collyer. Collyer crossed to Cernas across the box, where Cernas made a move inside and beat the Pikeville keeper to lead 4-0 through 71 minutes.

The final goal of the match came from Burroughs. In the 78th minute. Ella Tuplin fired a long counter to Collyer and again Collyer crossed in the box to Burroughs for the final score of the match.

The Phoenix have been road warriors to start the season playing away matches in Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. But today the Phoenix will finally play at home as they take on College of Idaho. That match is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Lindsey Donnell Stadium.

10-man Cumberland falls in defensive display

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Cumberland's men traveled to face an opponent in Faulkner University, a team that they have squared off with just one time in school history, Wednesday.

After a magnificent beginning to the game from both sides, Cumberland had to play a man down for close to an hour and conceded two late goals, losing 2-0.

Both teams played a similar brand of soccer to begin the game, taking their time to build play from the back and attempting to bait their opponents into a higher press. Trading shots from outside the box, neither team looked clearly ahead of the other through the first half of the period.

It took over 20 minutes for a real shot on goal from either team. The Phoenix passed the ball around the back before Jack McCarthy saw an opening and played a ball over the top of the Faulkner defense to Mark Donaldson.

Donaldson delivered a cross to Brima Kamara who attempted to drive a header into the ground and past the goalkeeper, but put too much power behind the shot. He then followed that shot later with a near miss over the crossbar.

As the game progressed though, tensions began to rise between both teams and a member of the Phoenix would be sent off as the half drew near. After making a hard challenge on the ball and being given a yellow initially, Robbie Lyons exchanged words with the official and the card was upgraded to a red.

Going a man down after that point, the Phoenix were left having to play almost exclusively in their own half. It took magnificent work in goal from Jack McCarthy to hold off the high-pressing attack that the Eagles brought at Cumberland.

McCarthy started off his account making a wonderful save in the 35th minute as the Eagles began to apply more pressure and push players higher up the pitch, but the Phoenix made it to halftime without conceding.

The second half went as most would have predicted, seeing the Eagles keeping at least nine players in Cumberland's half of the field for all but the occasional counterattack.

Cumberland's defense held strong and kept the ball out of the back of the net, however, the Eagles were due for a breakthrough, though it took a miraculous goal for it to happen.

Shooting early, so as to try and not allow the defense to set up, Antoine Marques sent a left footed shot curling into the back post, which was simply too good to be saved.

With just 15 minutes left to be played at that point, the Phoenix had to make more attacking substitutes in an attempt to chase a draw. With less defenders on the field for Cumberland, the Eagles sent their set piece specialist, Caio Pereira, into the box and he capitalized on the lack of size brought by the Phoenix. His header found the back of the net and sealed the 2-0 victory for the Eagles.

The Phoenix will be on the road again today as they face off against Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.