Weather pushed the opener back a day, and when it finally kicked off Sunday afternoon at Paul Cline Stadium, it was two ranked teams going at each other for 90 minutes. Fourth-ranked Cumberlands and second-ranked WVU Tech played to a 1-1 draw, and the shot chart says the Patriots deserved at least that much.
Cumberlands controlled the run of play from the opening whistle
Vinicius Serafim fired an early chance wide in the 3rd minute, then nearly broke the deadlock a minute later when his shot came back off the crossbar. The Patriots earned their first corner in the 7th minute and kept the pressure on from there.
Dunsting Cohen Jr. and Leandro Nico Romero Protto both tested the WVU Tech goalkeeper in the 28th minute, moments apart. Romero had another shot stopped by a defensive save in the 39th, and Zabir Taylor forced a save of his own in the 42nd. WVU Tech’s only real look of the half came in the final seconds, a shot off the post that sent the match to halftime scoreless despite the one-sided territory.
WVU Tech struck first out of the break
The second-ranked Golden Bears came out with intent, forcing a defensive save 23 seconds into the half and testing Martin Gomez in the 48th minute. Moments later, they broke through to take a 1-0 lead.
Cumberlands didn’t sit on the setback. Yota Ishikawa put a shot on frame almost immediately, and the Patriots kept generating chances through Taylor and Romero.
Cohen Jr.’s first collegiate goal leveled it
In the 56th minute, Taylor set up Cohen Jr., who finished for his first goal at the college level and tied the match 1-1. It’s the kind of moment a player remembers regardless of how the rest of the career goes, and it came against the No. 2 team in the country.
Cohen Jr. wasn’t finished. He looked for a second in the 65th minute, and later headed a Taylor corner wide left in the 76th. Cumberlands’ best chance to take the lead outright was called back for offside in the 78th, and neither team broke through again.
WVU Tech’s late push, and a defense that held
The Golden Bears answered the equalizer with sustained pressure, four shots and three corners in one stretch, and Gomez came up with a save in the 75th minute to keep the match level. Guilherme Pacheco Mendes had a shot of his own saved in the 67th, but from the equalizer on, both defenses did enough to hold.
The final numbers back up the eye test
Cumberlands finished with 14 shots to WVU Tech’s 8, and a 7-4 edge in shots on goal. Cumberlands also had 5 corners to the Golden Bears’ 8. Gomez made 2 saves in goal for the Patriots across the full 90 minutes.
Our take
A draw against the No. 2 team in the country, on the road, with a 14-8 shot advantage, is a result to build on rather than one to be disappointed by. Cohen Jr. now has his first collegiate goal, Taylor is setting up chances at both ends of the match, and the group didn’t fold after conceding first against a ranked opponent. That’s a real foundation for a season opener.
The numbers
| Cumberlands (#4) | WVU Tech (#2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 1 |
| Shots (on goal) | 14 (7) | 8 (4) |
| Corners | 5 | 8 |
| Saves | 2 | — |
Scoring: WVU Tech, unassisted, 2nd half. Cumberlands: Dunsting Cohen Jr. (1), assist Zabir Taylor, 56’. Shot leaders: Cohen Jr., Nico Romero Protto, Serafim, Taylor.
Cumberlands opens the season 0-0-1 and returns to the pitch Thursday, August 27, against #22 Grace College in Rio Grande, OH. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m.