MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The eight-ranked Tigers scored four goals in the second half against Bethel University, but Campbellsville's comeback fizzled out late in the game as the Wildcats escaped with a 5-4 victory over the Tigers at Wildcat Stadium on Friday night.
 
Campbellsville (5-1-0) erased a two-goal and tied the game twice, but Bethel (5-1-0) never fell behind and pulled off the upset.
 
The Tigers had four different goal scorers in the game, while Mustapaha Wadda's two goals in the final six minutes was the difference maker for the Wildcats. Wadda's two goals move him into a tie for third in the NAIA with nine, while his four game-winning goals leads the nation.
 
Bethel pushed the pace right out the gate pressuring the Campbellsville defense. The Wildcats hit the post on their first shot of the game in the fourth minute and they scored on their third shot in the fifth minute.
 
Bethel's goal ended the Tiger's shutout streak at 289:39. The streak went back to the second game of the season when Campbellsville surrendered a goal to then-ranked No. 11 Bryan College in the 76th minute of a 3-1 victory.
 
The Wildcats got off 11 shots in the first half including three shots fired on target. The Tigers held a couple long spells of possession toward the end of the period, but they were only able to generate two shots throughout the first 45 minutes.
 
Lucas Curry and Sam Wills recorded the only two shots in the first half for Campbellsville, but neither shot was on goal.
 
This was the first time all season the Tigers were forced to play from behind.
 
Bethel began the second half in similar fashion as the first half in putting pressure on the Tiger backline. The early pressure forced a Campbellsville own goal and gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
 
Two minutes after Bethel took a two-goal advantage, the Tigers countered with their fourth goal from the penalty spot in three games. Nathan Heath converted on the penalty kick for his third goal of the season. All three of Heath's goals have come off penalty kicks and have all come in the last three games.
 
Campbellsville began to flip the field and started to put pressure of the Wildcat defense. Haylen West tied the game at two in the 62nd minute and erased the Tiger's two-goal deficit.
 
The game opened up after Campbellsville's second goal and Andreas Nota made a sliding save right after the tying goal to keep the game knotted at two. However, the Wildcats regained the in the 66th minute off of a shot from Rushayne Marrett.
 
The Tigers continued to battle back and pressured the Bethel goalkeeper. Campbellsville tied the match for the second time during the second half after Cameron Badenhorst slotted home his second goal of the season, where Scott Brooksbank picked up the assist.
 
Neither team let off the gas offensively as Wadda scored the fourth goal of the game for the Wildcats after Leonardo Ferreira found Wadda in front of the net with a defender on his back to give Bethel its third lead.
 
Wadda then put the Wildcats ahead by two goals once again after converting on a penalty kick for Bethel. Nota went the right direction of the penalty shot, but the ball skipped off his finger tips and into the back of the net.
 
Campbellsville did not give up on the comeback as Ignacio Mangada scored off a free kick with 25 seconds to play to pull the Tigers back within a goal. However, the clock ran out on Campbellsville and Bethel escaped with a 5-4 victory.
 
The Wildcats outshot the Tigers 19-11 in the game, while Bethel put 10 shots on goal compared to six from the Tigers. Nota notched a season-high six saves in the match.
 
Campbellsville returns home next Saturday to host Bethel College at 1 p.m. ET from Finley Stadium.

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