Owls Advance To Mid-Atlantic/Region 20 Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Oxford College of Emory University (6-3-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Prince George's Community College (7-7-0, 5-6) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
The Prince George's Community College men's soccer team earned its first postseason victory in six years with a 4-1 decision over Oxford College of Emory University in Thursday night's semifinal matchup. The Owls will now face #5 ranked Anne Arundel on Saturday, October 29th at 1 pm to determine the Region 20 winner who will also represent the Mid-Atlantic District in the National Championship on November 11-14.
The Owls jumped out in front early with a 6th minute goal by freshman Oliver Okanimba via an assist by Jorge Santacruz. Oxford responded on offense with a strong attack as they produced three consecutive corner kicks but the Owls were able to turn each of them away. After both teams traded shots back and forth forcing each keeper to make stops, it was the Owls Santacruz who found the back of the net in the 40th minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The Eagles offense responded again to open the second as Oxford capitalized on a penalty kick in the 47th minute to cut into the Owls lead, 2-1. Prince George's would continue to have plenty of fouls called in the second half, finishing with 12 in the half alone and 21 total on the day compared to the Eagles 6. Following a trio of saves from Owls keeper Daniel Villatoro-Ramos, the Owls Jonathan Diaz found a crashing Chris Gbakinro inside the Eagles box as he headed the volley in to put Prince George's back up by two with 18 minutes left in regulation.
The Eagles threatened with shots fired towards Ramos down the stretch, but were only able to put one on frame which he was able to corral. The Owls tacked on another goal in the 83rd minute with a Francis Ogbankwa score assisted on by Samuel Reyes to cap off the scoring for the evening.
Ramos finished the day with 5 saves while the Owls outshot the Eagles, 14-11. Ramos has earned every decision in goal for Prince George's on the year as he enters tomorrow's championship game at .500 with a 7-7 record on the year.
Thursday's victory marked the Owls first postseason win since 2016 when Prince George's won the Region and advanced to the National Championship. The Owls will return to Siegert Field on Saturday for a chance to return as Region champion for the first time in six years.
Tickets are available for $5 at the gate for adults. Students with a valid ID and kids 12 and under are free. A live stream will be provided via Anne Arundel's YouTube page.
