Owls Fall To Hagerstown In Season Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hagerstown Community College (2-1-0, 2-1-0) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
Prince George's Community College (0-1-0, 0-1-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Prince George's Community College men's soccer returned to the pitch for the first time in nearly two years on Thursday, September 2nd when the Owls took on Hagerstown Community College for their season opener. The Owls looked primed to set the tone early and hold control after they scored within the first minute on a Victor Oluwafolayemi (Hyattsville, MD) goal. Hagerstown was able to quickly turn things around and shut out Prince George's for the remaining 89 minutes, while the Hawks scored three goals of their own to top the Owls 3-1. The loss starts the Owls out at 0-1 to begin the season while Hagerstown moved to 2-1 on the year.
Hagerstown was able to immediately respond to the Owls first minute goal as they netted their first goal in the third minute to tie up the match, 1-1. Prince George's was able keep pressure on the Hawks defense as they totaled 10 shots throughout the first half but were only able to put 4 on frame. Hagerstown was able to take the lead in the 24th minute when the Hawks Danilo Melendez put one past the Owls freshman goalkeeper Axel Vargas (Temple Hills, MD) who had a busy day, finishing with 11 saves off of 14 shots on goal.
The second half was back and forth with scoring threats by both squads. The Owls nearly tied things up in the 67th minute when a scramble in front of the Hawks goal ended with a shot that missed just left by Owls midfielder Eric Hernandez (Lanham, MD). Vargas led a valiant effort in goal, recording 9 of his 11 saves in the second half before Prince George's conceded their third goal in the 89th minute to put the chance of a tie out of reach.
Prince George's interim head coach Cedric Mansaray will have a full week to go back to the drawing board before Prince George's returns to action on Thursday, September 9th when the Owls travel to CCBC Catonsville to take on the Cardinals. The Cardinals are currently 1-1 on the year and will play College of Southern Maryland on Tuesday, September 7th before hosting the Owls on Thursday.
