GAME INFORMATION
Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship
Score: No. 3 Keiser 11, No. 7 Cumberlands 22
Records: No. 3 Keiser (13-4), No. 7 Cumberlands (15-3)
Location: UC Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, Williamsburg, Ky.

KU HIGHLIGHTS

• Keiser went 6-of-10 on free positions and scored three goals with a man-down.
• Senior Hayley Mazreku recorded a hat-trick with three goals for the Seahawk cause, which was a team-high.
• Melanie Brown (1 goal, 2 assists) and Maria Johnson (2 goals, 1 assist) each contributed offensively with three points. Johnson also made an impact defensively by forcing two Patriot turnovers.
• Madalyn Huber was also able to chip in two goals, while leading the way for Keiser in draw controls with six, ground balls with four, and caused turnovers with two.
• Jessica Covell made 15 saves as the goalkeeper for the Seahawks.

TURNING POINT
Keiser drew to within three goals of the Patriots early in the second half, but the Cumberlands offense then began a dominant run of seven consecutive goals to begin to pull away from the visiting Seahawks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The tournament's top-seed and NAIA No. 7 Cumberlands began the game with the first two goals, but Keiser lit up the scoreboard for the first time at the 23:32 mark on a free-position from Mazreku to make it 2-1 Patriots.
• Just 22 seconds later Cumberlands had a successful free-position of their own to go in front 3-1, but Beikirch's free-position finish with 21:55 on the clock brought the Seahawks right back to within one goal.
• The Patriots rattled off three consecutive goals to stake claim to a 6-2 lead with 18:52 left in the half, and a Keiser penalty gave the Patriots a man-up opportunity not soon after.
• Instead of conceding a goal with a man-down however, the Seahawks battled and improbably produced two man-down scores to draw to within 6-4 Cumberlands. The first came from Huber on an assist from Beikirch and the second came from the stick of Brown on an unassisted score with 11:55 on the clock.
• Three of the next four goals went the way of the Patriots, who grabbed the 9-5 advantage as the conclusion of the opening half neared.
• Johnson's score on the assist from Brown with just 1:15 left in the half appeared as if it may send the Seahawks into the intermission with some momentum, but Cumberlands created one final score before the halftime whistle to lead 10-6.
• Keiser got off to a promising start early in the second half, as Johnson had a nice goal on a pass from Towner to decrease the deficit to three goals at 10-7 in favor of the Patriots with 28:11 remaining.
• The hosts were able to then begin a 7-0 run, with three of the goals coming on man-up opportunities, to establish a double-digit lead at 17-7.
• Huber's free-position, man-up goal with 15:21 to play ended the Patriot run, and Mazreku was able to beat the Cumberlands goalkeeper after a pass from Brown to make it 17-9 with 14:06 remaining.
• Cumberlands responded with back-to-back goals, but the Seahawks countered with consecutive markers from Micaela Rillo on a free-position and the senior Mazreku's third goal for the hat-trick at the 10:15 mark on the assist from Johnson to place the score at 19-11.
• A big comeback was not to be for the Seahawks however, as Cumberlands went on to prevail by the final score of 22-11 on their home field to claim the title.

 
TEAM LEADERS
No. 3 Keiser
Points: Brown/Johnson/Mazreku (3)
Goals: Mazreku (3)
Assists: Brown (2)
Draw Controls: Huber (6)
Ground Balls: Huber (4)
Caused Turnovers: Huber/Johnson (2)
Saves: Covell (15)
 
No. 7 Cumberlands
Points: Berry (8)
Goals: Berry (8)
Assists: Brewer/Heim (4)
Draw Controls: Heim (11)
Ground Balls: Phillips (5)
Caused Turnovers: Heim (3)
Saves: Crump (12)

UP NEXT
By way of its Mid-South Conference Tournament title, No. 7 Cumberlands earns an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament on May 8 through May 11 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. No. 3 Keiser will now await on whether it will receive a bid to continue its 2019 season at the NAIA Tournament.