Pack your bags. We are going back to the big dance.

For the second time in three years, the Cumberlands Patriots are playing for the Red Banner. We faced a 21-win Oklahoma Wesleyan team in the NAIA National Semifinals, and we did what we do best: we grinded, we executed, and we pitched a shutout. An OKWU team that had conceded only 5 goals all season. Final score: 1-0 Pats.

We won it all in 2023. We know the path. Now, we are one win away from bringing another title back to Williamsburg.

The Decisive Moment: Fontan From Distance

In a game of this magnitude, sometimes all it takes is one moment of brilliance. We got it in the 31st minute. After drawing a foul 30 yards out, Carola Fontan stepped up to the free kick. She didn’t just put it on frame; she buried it. That goal changed the entire dynamic of the match. It gave us the lead, and from that moment on, we refused to give it back.

The Defense: A Championship-Level Clean Sheet

They say defense wins championships, and ours was elite tonight. Morgan White was a brick wall between the posts. She recorded 6 saves, including three crucial stops in the final three minutes of the match when Oklahoma Wesleyan threw everything they had at us.

Oklahoma Wesleyan hit the crossbar early in the second half, and they pressured us late, but our backline—anchored by Noah Paalman, Samantha Sokolove, and Karla Waibel—stood tall. We bent, but we never broke. We earned that shutout.

The Execution Report: We Controlled the Pitch

We didn’t just survive this game; we controlled the tempo.

  • Aggressive Offense: We outshot them 22-11. We put 9 shots on goal compared to their 6. We were the aggressors for 90 minutes.
  • Constant Pressure: Laura Bosca (5 shots), Carola Fontan (6 shots), and Nicole Araujo (4 shots) kept their goalkeeper under siege all night, forcing 8 saves. We never let them get comfortable.
  • Physicality: This was a physical battle. We picked up three yellow cards because we were fighting for every inch of grass. We matched their intensity and exceeded it.

Our Stars of the Semifinal

  • Carola Fontan (#11): The hero of the match. Her free-kick goal in the 31st minute is the reason we are playing for a title. She led the team with 6 shots and 4 on goal.
  • Morgan White (#01): The anchor. A clean sheet in the Final Four. She made the saves that keep seasons alive.
  • The Backline: Played all 90 minutes and refused to concede. That is championship effort.

What’s Next

We are 17-4-3. We have beaten the best to get here. But let’s be very clear: The job is not finished.

We didn’t come to Pensacola just to make the final. We came to win it. We have one game left. One opponent standing between us and history. We rest, we recover, and we prepare to hoist that trophy again. We will face either Embry-Riddle or Keiser on Monday at 1 PM EST.

WE ARE PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE.

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