Patriots slip past Rio men in OT

Rio Grande Sports Information
     WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - In the opening stages of the second half, the University of Rio Grande had its shutout streak broken.
     Inside the initial minute of overtime, the RedStorm had their hearts broken.
     Rodrigo Riveros' backwards kick of a crossing pass into the 18-yard box by teammate Shuma Sasaki found its way into the goal and lifted the University of the Cumberlands to a 2-1 win over Rio Grande in the second round of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, Saturday evening, at the UC Soccer Complex.
     The 10th-ranked and No. 5 seeded Patriots, who had defeated the RedStorm, 4-2, in their regular season meeting, improved to 14-2-2 with the win and punched their ticket to the tourney's Round of 16, beginning Dec. 2 in Wichita, Kansas.
     Rio Grande, which had been riding a 10-game winning streak since the loss to UC on Sept. 21, finished 12-5-1 as a result of the loss.
     The RedStorm, who had won each of the last eight games in their winning streak by shutout, jumped in front with just 14.8 seconds left before halftime when freshman David Palade (Constanta, Romania) played the ricochet of his own saved shot past UC keeper Javiero Izquierdo for a 1-0 lead.
     The Patriots netted the equalizer, though, just 1:52 into the second half when Carles Diez Herrero sent a crossing pass from just outside the left side of the 18-yard box toward the front of the goal and Bruno Marques sent a header past Rio senior net-minder Matheus de Campos (Brasilia, Brazil) to knot the score at 1-1 and end the RedStorm's scoreless stretch at 745 minutes and 11 seconds.
     Rio Grande appeared to regain the lead with 27:59 left to play when senior Scott Gray (Strathaven, Scotland) rifled a shot off the deflection of a corner kick by sophomore Lucas O'Donnell (Leeds, England) into the goal but, moments later after a discussion between the game officials, the marker was waved off for an offsides call against the RedStorm.
     The 1-1 deadlock stood until the opening moments of the extra period, which just this season became a "golden goal" situation again after spending the last two years as two, 10-minute periods regardless of the number of goals scored.
     Cumberlands began the period with possession, worked the ball back to their own goal and then started up the left side of the pitch.
     The ball found its way to the foot of Sasaki who, after moving toward the endline, sent a pass back toward the center of the 18-yard box where Riveros wrestled control of the ball away from a Rio defender and fired a backwards kick past the outstretched arm of de Campos and into the net for the game-winner.
     The two teams combined for just 14 shots overall - nine for the host Patriots and five for Rio. Five of UC's shots were on frame, while the RedStorm had two shots on goal.
     The Patriots also had five of the game's six corner kick chances.
     Izquierdo had one save for Cumberlands.
     de Campos was credited with three saves for Rio Grande.