Golden Tigers Drop Close Match to #13 Cumberland
In a battle of nationally ranked teams, the NAIA #22 Brenau Golden Tigers Soccer Team fell 1-0 the #13 ranked Cumberland Bulldogs on Sunday.
In the first half, Cumberland controlled possession and had two good chances to score, but junior keeper Tori Brown (Windermere, FL) had two outstanding saves to keep the score at 0-0 going into halftime.
Coach Mike Lochstampfor credited his keeper and defense, saying, "Our back line was solid all afternoon and Tori [Brown] was simply brilliant on a couple of saves and gave us a chance to win".
The Golden Tiger offense, however, struggled with possession and failed to generate offense throughout the match. In the 73rd minute, Union's Rhianne Parsons drove a low hard shot from the top of the box to give the Bulldogs the lead, and ultimately the win.
Although the Golden Tigers didn't capture the victory, Coach Lochstampfor noted that "Esther Anyanwu and Jenny Knibbs were slowed by injuries which definitely had an impact, but I still felt like we had enough scoring opportunities to beat a good NAIA #13 ranked team. We will work to improve on better execution as we prepare for Reinhardt University on Wednesday".
Cumberland outshot Brenau 17-10 on the afternoon. Junior Kayla Madsen (Flowery Branch, GA) led the Golden Tigers with three shots on goal.
The Golden Tigers travel on Wednesday to Reinhardt University. Match time is at 3 pm.