KANSAS CITY, Mo. – David Barbakadze made a dynamic debut for the Cumberland (Tenn.) men’s soccer team, last week, posting three goals to go with a pair of assists in an 8-0 win over Bryan (Tenn.) before tacking on another goal in a 3-2 win over Tennessee Wesleyan.
Tuesday, Barbakadze was named the season’s first PrestoSports NAIA Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week.
Barbakadze’s immediate impact on the 2026 season came less than 18 minutes in, in the form of assists on back-to-back goals by Luis Cerejo. He followed with the next two goals for the Phoenix, in the 20th and 30th minutes, and he recorded his first hat trick in a Cumberland uniform in the second half, marking the team’s sixth goal of the game in the 57th minute.
Three days later, Barbakadze added insurance for Cumberland in a one-score win over Tennessee Wesleyan. Up 2-1 to start the 85th minute, Barbakadze struck to make it 3-1, a goal that proved pivotal when the Bulldogs converted a penalty kick two minutes later, in the 87th.
Now 3-0, 14th-ranked Cumberland also picked up a win Monday against Truett McConnell (Ga.), and the Phoenix will resume the season over the Labor Day Weekend with a pair of top 10 opponents in Iowa. Saturday, the Phoenix are at top-ranked Grand View (Iowa), in Des Moines, and Monday, Cumberland travels to No. 7 William Penn (Iowa), in Oskaloosa. Both games are set to kick at 1 p.m.
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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