PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Pikeville men's soccer team was in striking distance with just a 1-0 deficit for 62 minutes, but once it fell behind by two scores it never recovered in a 2-0 loss to Cumberlands in Mid-South Conference action on Tuesday at the Bob Amos Complex.

It happened in a hurry as Miguel Alvarez Castaneda tapped a short cross through the box to Aleksa Blagojevic who found the back of the net in the sixth minute to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.

It was still 1-0 at halftime and stayed there until the 62nd minute when Blagojevic netted a backbreaking second goal. After a pair of bad touches by UPIKE defenders a few feet from the goal, the ball made it to Blagojevic's feet, allowing him to sneak in the quick score.

Chances for UPIKE were limited the rest of the way as Cumberlands (5-3-3, 1-1 MSC) outshot it 10-2 in the second half. In the first half, it was the Bears with the 6-5 advantage, but the Patriots kept their foot on the gas in the final 45 minutes.

UPIKE (2-7-1, 0-2 MSC) did have the lead in corner kicks at 5-3 and fouled less with Cumberlands leading 12-3 there.

Anibal Navarro collected a game-high six saves for UPIKE, compared to four stops for Ahmed Ghatwary.

Eric Bernabeu paced the Bears in shots with three, while Zach Wallace attempted five shots for the Patriots off the bench.

UP NEXT

UPIKE faces 13th-ranked Campbellsville at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in an MSC road matchup.

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