Sixth-Ranked Prince George's Men's Soccer Opens Season Against No. 5 Nassau On Sunday In Germantown

GAME DAY INFORMATION
No. 5 Nassau (0-2-0) vs
No. 6 Prince George's (0-0-0)
Sunday, September 3, 2017, 11:00 a.m.
Maryland SoccerPlex, Germantown, Md., Field 3

LIVE STATS | FOLLOW ON TWITTER

NASSAU: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS (2016)
PRINCE GEORGE'S: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS (2016)

opening pitch… Prince George's opens its 2017 season against Nassau in the Tom Bichy Memorial Soccer Tournament on Sunday. It will be the third-straight season the two teams will battle in the Montgomery College event. The Lions defeated the Owls 1-0 last season thanks to a goal in the 82nd minute. The match will be played on field three at Maryland Soccer Plex, Germantown, Md. 

about the tournament… The tournament is named after the late Montgomery College men's soccer coach and athletics director Tom Bichy. It will be the fourth annual tournament in honor of the Montgomery College legend. Bichy started the men's soccer program, served as head coach for 37 seasons and amassed 471 victories in his tenure. He also served as a professor and athletics director for 24 years at the Rockville campus. This year's tournament features four teams ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association Preseason Poll including No. 2 Camden County, No. 3 Genesee, No. 5 Nassau and No. 6 Prince George's. Five matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday in the tournament with the Owls set to play one contest on Sunday against Nassau to open their season.

the word on lions… Nassau, who battles No. 3 Genesee on Saturday, comes into the weekend 0-2-0 after falling 4-1 to Bunker Hill on Aug. 27 and 3-0 to ASA New York on Aug. 28.  

the owl returners… Prince George's returns five players from last year's NJCAA Division III Region XX championship team, including NJCAA Second-Team All-American Edwin Claros who lead the team with 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points. Fabian Castillo ranked fourth on the team with six goals and five assists for 15 points. Goalkeeper Jonathan Claros posted 74 saves, a 1.18 goals against average and a .763 save percentage in 1757:31 minutes played. Helping Jonathan Claros in the defense are returners Elmer Hernandez and Farouk Tijani. Also returning to the backfield is Celio Grice, who appeared in 19 games including 16 starts during the 2015 season.

in the ranks… The Prince George's Community College men's soccer team was tabbed sixth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Men's Soccer Preseason Rankings. The Owls were ranked for five weeks last season, including sitting in the No. 6 spot for the final two weeks of the regular season. The squad comes into the 2017 season in the same spot it ended 2016 with its No. 6 ranking. Richland is the preseason No. 1 team while Camden County, Genesee, Herkimer and Nassau cap the top half of the poll. Prince George's, Suffolk County, Bristol, Bergen and Anoka-Ramsey round out the 10-team poll.

about last season… Prince George's finished 14-7 and captured its sixth NJCAA Division III Region XX Tournament title and fifth trip to the national championships. The Owls defeated Anne Arundel 4-1 in the Region XX Semifinals and then earned a 1-0 victory against Montgomery for the squad's first region title since 2009. Prince George's finished fifth on the national stage after falling to Camden County 2-0 and defeating Bristol 4-1.

returning all-american… Sophomore Edwin Claros was named an NJCAA Second-Team All-American after leading the team with 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points. He registered five multi-goal performances including hat tricks against Allegany and Northern Virginia.

men's soccer tradition… The 2017-18 athletic season marks the 50th Anniversary of the start of intercollegiate athletics at Prince George's Community College. The college started at Suitland High School in 1957 before moving to its current Largo campus in the fall 1967. Prince George's began an intercollegiate athletic program in the fall of 1967 and the men's soccer program was one of the first programs created. The men's soccer program is also one of the most successful teams in the first 50 years after claiming six National Junior College Athletic Association Region XX Tournament titles (1982, 1983, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2016) and five appearances in the national tournament (1982, 1983, 1996, 1999, 2016). In addition, men's soccer has produced 43 NJCAA All-Americans in this span.

alumni day… As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, Prince George's athletics is hosting a Student-Athlete Alumni Day on Saturday, September 30. Any former student-athlete is invited to the event that will feature alumni soccer games or alumni basketball events and a catered barbecue. The event is free to former student-athlete alumni, one guest over the age of 15 and up to four children 14 years old or younger. To participate in Alumni Day, please pre-register by September 22 at www.pgccowls.com/alumniday

about the coach… Taiye Akinmboni will serve as the interim head coach for the men's soccer program for the 2017 season after serving as an assistant coach for the Owls. Akinmboni came back to Prince George's in 2004 as a volunteer coach with the men's soccer program. He later became the goalkeeper coach before serving as an assistant coach. Akinmboni played for the Owls in 1998 and 1999, including being a member of the NJCAA Region XX championship and finishing 4th at the national tournament in 1999.