CUMBERLAND, Tenn. – The Campbellsville Tigers traveled down south to take on the Phoenix of Cumberland University early Tuesday afternoon. Although they led early in the match, the Tigers' first Mid-South Conference contest of the season ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Tigers started off with fantastic pitch control and constantly battling for possession. Campbellsville was able to get off to a very fast start as
Sebastiano Musu forced the Phoenix to turn the ball over on the Tigers' side of midfield. Not too long after, Musu winged a ball over two defenders heads to
Gustav Oskarsson for a one-on-one match up with the goalkeeper. Oskarsson capitalized on the opportunity in the sixth minute putting the Tigers up 1-0. The rest of the first half wasn't without its fair share of action, but the scores wouldn't change. Both teams vyed for possession, but the ball tended to cling to Campbellsville's share of the pitch.
The first 45 ended with neither team able to break away and net a goal. The Tigers finished the half with six shots (four of those on goal) and two saves from the goalkeeper
Christian Hauge. Comparatively, Cumberland mustered three shots with only one on goal.
Campbellsville came out in the half a step slow allowing a Cumberland goal in the 50
th minute from a cross pitch pass. The knotting goal came at a pivotal moment in the game as Cumberland had previously struggled to get past a stifling defensive push from the Tigers. The rest of the second half was nearly a mirror inverse of the first half with the next 40 minutes being a defensive battle between the two clubs. When the final horn blew it was a hard fought draw.
The clear advantage for the Phoenix in the second half shows itself in the shot totals and corner kicks. Cumberland had seven shots in the second part of the match holding Campbellsville to four and got to kick four corners compared to just one for the Tigers.
Christian Hauge left the field with four saves.
The Tigers will be looking to bounce back as they travel to Pulaski, Tennessee as the take on the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks on Saturday at 5pm ET.
