LEBANON, Tenn. - For the second-straight year, the Carroll Men's Soccer team saw their season come to a close in the second round of the NAIA Men's Soccer Championship - falling to 8-seed Cumberland on Saturday afternoon.
The Fighting Saints (14-4-3) can hold their head high in defeat, matching the program's best finish and doing it with class.
While the Saints had their opportunities in the opening frame, several near-misses would keep them scoreless, with multiple shots buzzing the crossbar and uprights.
Cumberlands took a 1-0 lead into the half, scoring a 38th minute goal by Wesley Mendoza with an assist from Phillip Schmidtke.
The Phoenix were the aggressors throughout, finishing with 26 shots to Carroll's 12, including a 12-5 advantage in the first half.
An insurance goal was added in the 58th minute off the foot of Luis Cerejo, and as hard as the Saints fought, they simply couldn't find an answer.
Following a third Cumberland goal in the 81st minute, a spectator began hurling racial slurs directed at the Saints. In a show of respect for their teammate, and in protest to the repeated derogatory comments, the Carroll Men elected not to play the final seven minutes - with the match officially ending at the 83-minute mark.