In another outstanding all-around effort by the men's soccer program at Shawnee State University, Ron Goodson's group capped off the second contest of a Homecoming and Mid-South Conference doubleheader with a spirited 1-0 victory over the Cumberland (Tenn.) Phoenix on Saturday evening.

Corbin Betz's nine saves, a goal by Rovares off of a Jacob Perry pass with less than three minutes left in the half, and a strong defensive effort by all who played, allowed the Bears to overcome a 17-13 shot deficit -- including a 9-5 edge in shots on goal -- and a 4-0 Cumberland edge on free kicks en route to the victory.

Shawnee State (8-5, 1-2 Mid-South) started off the contest trading blows with Cumberland in the midfield before the Phoenix began to spread their offensive attack out in a more efficient manner.

However, Betz proved to be more than up to the task.

Playing arguably his best game in goal during his entire career at SSU, Betz saved three shots over the game's first 18 minutes to keep Cumberland at bay, and stopped shots in back-to-back frames in the 17th and 18th minutes in doing so. Thomas de Graauw and Joao Toledo used their speed on the perimeter edges of the pitch to create opportunities for themselves, but over the first 40 minutes of play, opportunities came and went without a salvo from either side.

As the half -- and the game -- went on, however, the pendulum started to swing in Shawnee State's favor.

In the 43rd minute, Rovares proceeded to strike. After a foul by Cumberland gave the Bears the ball deep inside SSU's side of the pitch, Perry found Rovares moments later on a throw-in that found the Sau Paulo, Brazil native from the opposite side of the pitch. Rovares used his athletic frame to guide the ball past Nicklas Rulle, and from there, the Bears had their 1-0 cushion that would hold up to the halftime break.

However, Cumberland certainly made Shawnee State work for the victory.

With Toledo, Kevin de Lange, and Chris Jones all dealing with nagging second-half injuries, the Bears had to rely on its defensive backline in a heavier manner over the game's final 30 minutes of play as the Phoenix outshot SSU 11-2 during that span.

At every stop, Shawnee State was there to greet Cumberland in its efforts to create the equalizing chance.

In a five-minute stretch from the 62nd to the 67th frames of play, Betz made four of his six saves in the second half as the Stoutsville, Ohio native continued to produce in an outstanding fashion in goal, and from there, Bryce Romanello, Alek Blevins, Mitchell Patchett, Carlos Solmolinos Bravo, and Eli Maurer, among various others, handled their business as Romanello, Blevins, and Solmolinos Bravo combined for three blocked shots while Betz, in turn, made the additional two saves that he needed to make in order to preserve the victory.

For the contest, Rovares' four shots and 43rd minute goal, along with three shots apiece from Toledo and de Lange and two from de Graauw, led the way for the Bears, with Toledo and de Graauw putting three of their combined five shots on frame. Perry added in a shot on goal following his assist to Rovares to round out the offensive production as a whole.

Along with the in-game action that greeted fans at the Shawnee Turf on Saturday, the Homecoming Coronation was held in between the men's and women's game, while the 1999 NAIA Division II National Championship women's basketball team -- who scored 80 or more points 22 times, held opponents to 60 or less 19 times, and won six of eight contests decided by 10 points or less -- was honored at halftime of the men's affair.

With the victory, the men will turn their attention to a Wednesday evening matchup against Georgetown (Ky.). That matchup, which has featured a schedule change, will commence at 6 p.m. in order to accomodate the seniors on the Georgetown women's soccer unit.

For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter and Facebook pages at https://twitter.com/SSUBears and https://www.facebook.com/SSUBears regarding Homecoming Weekend among additional pertinent information.