Wildcats Fall to No. 10 Cumberland in 2024 Season Opener

LEBANON, Tenn. - Opening up the season on the road against a top-10 team, Baker women's soccer fell to No. 10 Cumberland, 8-0 on Saturday afternoon in the first game of the 2024 season for BU.

Going up against a talented Phoenix club that advanced to last year's Round of 16 of the NAIA Championships, the Wildcats trailed by three going into halftime before CU posted a five-goal second half to claim the season-opening match.

"We had a strategy that kept a top-10 team out of the net for 30 minutes while creating a few chances of our own," said Baker head coach Sara Matthews. "However, once they scored, mentally we put our heads down and gave up three quick goals. The second half was a game of catch-up and taking chances, but the feat was just too much against a fantastic squad like Cumberland."

The Phoenix attack launched 20 shots in the first half and ended up with 23 of their 33 shots for the game coming on goal. Making her first start since 2022 after missing all of last season due to an injury, BU goalkeeper Taylor Evans tallied 15 saves and repelled her first penalty kick of the year on a Cumberland PK right before halftime.

The Wildcats looked to be in control after kickoff with a corner kick leading to a shot by Sidney Claeys followed by freshman Emeil Bennett registering the first shot on goal with a strike towards the CU keeper in the sixth minute of play.

Darcy Cato almost gave Baker the first goal of the game with a shot in the 22nd minute that bounced off the right post.

But, after being held scoreless through the first 30 minutes of the game, Cumberland broke through and scored three goals in less than a five-minute span to make it a 3-0 game with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.

In the second half, the Phoenix notched a goal in the 60th minute before going on to net goals in back-to-back fashion on two separate occasions with goals in the 73rd and 75th minute as well as two more in the 81st and 83rd.

"We can do two things after this result, hang our heads in defeat or learn from it," added Matthews. "We will absolutely learn from it and we'll continue to teach our young squad which includes nine freshmen how to play in our system. We schedule these tough non-conference games to prepare us for the rest of the season which can be crucial when playing in a conference as tough as the Heart of America."

With back-to-back road matches to start their 2024 campaign, the Wildcats will stay in-state for their next contest with a matchup at McPherson on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. in McPherson, Kan.

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