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From that point the home side had to throw more numbers forward, but the No. 4 seed were happy to absorb the pressure and counter whenever an opportunity presented itself. The No. 1 seed Patriots seldom had chances, but when they did Eric Zalaya was there to the rescue, making two key saves late in the first half.

After the break it was more of the same from the Patriots as they chased a goal, but were unable to find their way past the everpresent Zalaya. Despite Cumberlands gathering some early momentum and grabbing two shots on goal in the opening ten minutes of the second half, it was Harold Perea bagging a goal to go alongside his assist, putting the Phoenix ahead by a pair in the 69th minute.

From end to end it was all Phoenix on the Patriots home turf, helping to avenge one of the Phoenix’s lone two losses on the season, giving the No. 4 seed a berth into the MSC championship game which will be played on the road against the winner of Lindsey Wilson and Bethel.

Schmidtke takes Player of the Year honors; Gelabert named Freshman of the YearCumberland’s Philipp Schmidtke was named the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year, Miquel Gelabert picked up Freshman of the Year honors and both Luis Cerejo and Mark Donaldson were named second team all-conference, ait was announced by the league office Thursday morning.

Schmidtke, a junior forward from Gifhorn, Germany, caps off a tremendous season with the MSC’s top individual honor, being named as Cumberland’s first ever Player of the Year. His impact was evident from the start, where in the season opener the Phoenix upset No. 6 Mobile, and Schmidtke helped ignite that momentum, producing multiple goals and assists.

Schmidtke continued to set that same tone as two days later he scored twice and assisted on a third goal to beat Faulkner on the road.The forwards 16 goals rank him as one of the top scorers in the country, while his 11 assists shows just how complete the Phoenix frontline was this season.

As for Gelabert, the freshman showed the tremendous upside and talent that he had in his first campaign, scoring 14 goals to go along with 11 assists. The Spaniard only trailed his teammate Schmidtke for goals scored in the conference, while also coming in third in total number of assists.

Cerejo picked up the first second team honor of his career, producing 10 goals, fifth most in the conference, though he truly shone with his creativity. Cerejo recorded 15 assists in 18 games, a tally that was just shy of leading the nation, though he did lead the MSC.

Finally, Donaldson also picked up the second second team award in his three seasons with the Phoenix. Donaldson picked up a slightly more defensive role this season, but recorded two assists and led one of the best backlines in the conference, all while captaining the side all season long.

Top-seed CU women fall to Campbellsville in MSC semis, 3-1Cumberland’s top-seeded women saw their Mid-South Conference tournament run come to an early end Wednesday afternoon, falling 3-1 to fourth-seeded Campbellsville in thesemifinals at Lindsey Donnell Stadium.

The Phoenix, who shared the regular season conference title, were unable to overcome a two-goal first-half deficit as the Tigers converted early chances and held off multiple CU surges late. With the result, Campbellsville advancedto the MSC Championship to face the winner of No. 2 seed Lindsey Wilson and No. 3 seed Cumberlands.

Cumberland dominated possession and opportunities, outshooting Campbellsville 26-11, including a 9-5 edge in shots on goal. The Phoenix also earned 12 corner kicks with nine of them in the second half, but couldn’t capitalize despite sustained pressure as Campbellsville sat back and defended the goal after getting an early lead.

Freshman Olga Wallemo netted the lone Phoenix goal in the 55th minute, converting a penalty kick for her 10th goal of the season. Seika Stull was a constant threat with a team-high five shots, including three on target, while Uxia Varela added six total attempts. Goalkeeper Celia Martin recorded two saves in 90 minutes of play.

The Tigers were efficient in attack, scoring three times on five shots on goal. Campbellsville also committed six fouls and drew two yellow cards in a physical defensive effort that limited CU’s chances inside the box.

Laura Munoz, Alejandra Rocha Peniche and Grace Smith all scored for the Tigers. Campbellsville had just one assist from Wilma Gidlof in the contest. Goalkeeper Milly Shakespeare was outstanding between the posts, stopping eight of nine shots faced to preserve the win.

Cumberland came out aggressive, firing 15 shots in the opening period, but struggled to find the target. Campbellsville struck first in the 16th minute when Munoz converted from the spot after a foul in the box. The Tigers doubled their lead in the 26th minute as Rocha Peniche finished a dangerous corner kick that bounced around in the box to stun the home side. Despite several close-range efforts from Wallemo and Stull, the Phoenix entered halftime trailing 2-0.

Cumberland cut the deficit early in the second period as Wallemo buried a penalty kick in the 55th minute. The Phoenix kept the pressure on, tallying nine corners in the half, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Campbellsville weathered the storm and regained control in the 77th minute when Smith slotted home the Tigers’ third goal, putting the match out of reach.

The Phoenix will now have to play the waiting game to see if they earn a bid to the NAIA National Championships.