Owls Fall Short With Loss To Oxford Emory in Region Semifinals
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Oxford College of Emory University (10-2-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
Prince George's Community College (10-4-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A strong second half push by Prince George's Community College was upended by Oxford Emory in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's Soccer Region XX Division III Semifinals on Friday, November 1st in Siegert Stadium at Anne Arundel Community College.
An unstoppable Eagles free kick goal in the 3rd minute of play to put Oxford Emory up 1-0 forced the Owls to make some early adjustments however Oxford Emory continued to apply pressure on Prince George's. The Eagles created several scoring opportunities that looked as if they were surefire goals but goalkeeper Austin Geier made save after save including a diving stop in the 30th minute to keep the Owls hopes alive. Prince George's was later awarded a free kick in the 35th minute but it was sent above the goal to head into halftime trailing 1-0.
The Owls looked like a different team in the second half, firing off two shots in the first ten minutes as well as creating two corner kick opportunities but were unable to capitalize on either. Sophomores Brandon Betts and Brian Ngoh provided a spark for the Owls, combining to place five shots on goal for Prince George's which didn't include a near miss by Betts in the 59th minute which sailed just wide left. Oxford Emory was able to escape the Owls attack and connect on another free kick goal just moments later to increase their lead to 2-0. Prince George's refused to quit, firing off a total of ten shots in the second half to go along with eight corner kicks but the Eagles defense held strong, securing the 2-0 win. Oxford Emory would go on to win the tournament, claiming the Appalachian district championship the following day.
The loss ended a promising season for Prince George's which saw the Owls compile a 10-3-1 regular season recording (7-3-1 MD JUCO) highlighted by a 2-1 overtime win over MD JUCO powerhouse CCBC Essex on September 10th. The Owls were nationally ranked for the entire season, peaking at the number eight spot which they held for the majority of the year. The Owls will return to the field in the fall behind head coach Scott Villagran who wraps up just his first year as the head of the men's soccer program.