The seniors had no intention of letting their night end in defeat.

Trailing Barrington 2-1 with eight minutes left, Cumberland turned to Paynter Maher and Sophia Coburn. The two seniors delivered goals within the next five minutes, turning a late deficit into a 3-2 victory and giving the Clippers a Senior Night finish to remember.

Tuesday, October 13, brought Senior Night for the Clippers, with the next generation of Cumberland soccer there to help celebrate. Girls from the CLP program formed a tunnel, pom-poms in hand, for the Clippers to run through. Then they stayed to watch, cheering on the high school players and building the dream of one day wearing that same uniform.

They got quite a game to take home.

Coburn scored Cumberland’s first goal in the opening half, but the Clippers found themselves behind 2-1 as the final minutes approached. Maher delivered the equalizer on a great shot from 25 yards out, bringing Cumberland level and putting the win back within reach.

A couple of minutes later, Brady Carr delivered a beautifully placed corner kick to captain Sophia Coburn. Coburn finished for her second goal of the night and the game-winner, putting Cumberland ahead 3-2.

Two goals in five minutes had changed the game. Cumberland held on to complete the comeback and improve to 11-1-1.

Goalkeeper Francesca Stoothoff finished with four saves, helping Cumberland secure a match decided by the narrowest margin.

The result added to a season earning recognition beyond Rhode Island. MaxPreps listed Cumberland No. 99 nationally and No. 1 in the state, while the October 13 United Soccer Coaches poll placed the Clippers No. 9 in Region I, following their No. 8 ranking the previous week.

The Chariho Chargers (6-5) are next on the Division 1 schedule, coming off a 2-2 tie with North Kingstown - the only team to hand Cumberland a loss this season. The Clippers split their two meetings with the Skippers, winning 2-0 in August before falling 2-1 in September. Chariho’s latest result adds some intrigue to the upcoming matchup, showing the Chargers can compete with a team that has tested Cumberland.

But Tuesday belonged to the seniors - and to the young girls along the sideline, building the dream of one day becoming a CHS Clipper.