Cumberland allowed two early goals in a sloppy first half and was unable to score the tying goal in the second half, falling 2-1 to Union College Saturday evening in the championship game of the Golden Corral Classic in Barboursville, Ky.
“We played just awful in the first half – sluggish, slow to the ball, unorganized – and it was really the first adversity we’ve faced in the early going,” Loucks said. “I really like the way we responded, dominating the second half. Just unfortunately, we weren’t able to net the equalizer.”
Union’s Chris Elliot scored unassisted in the sixth minute of the match on a penalty kick and Elliot assisted on Brett Smith’s eventual game-winner in the 12th minute.
CU got on the board early in the second half with a goal from Robert Als with an assist from J.T. Gordy in the 62nd minute. But Union’s Jonathan Shaw made four saves in goal, three in the second half, to preserve the victory for the home team.
“It’s just August, but I really liked the way we played as a team, especially after such a bad beginning,” Loucks added. “If we continue to play well on the ball, the scoring chances will continue to come and we’ll keep getting better and better as we build toward the conference season.”
Cumberland opens the home schedule next Friday at 4 p.m. against Kentucky Wesleyan.