CCBC Essex Men's Soccer Wins 12th-Straight Region 20 Title
COLUMBIA, Md. – The top seed CCBC Essex men's soccer team won its 12th-straight NJCAA Region 20 title Saturday afternoon with a 5-0 victory over second-seeded College of Southern Maryland at Howard Community College. CCBC Essex used a balanced attack as five different players scored a goal and seven players recorded a point.
Zach Eichelberger got Essex (17-2-0) on the board with a penalty kick goal in the 12th minute. Cesar Rubio-Amaya and Manuel Andreu Gimeno scored less than 90 seconds apart late in the first half to send the Knights to halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Taichi Nogami pushed ahead Essex's lead to four goals in the 49th minute and Ariya Sithara capped the scoring in the 88th minute.
Essex outshot CSM (12-5-2), 26-9, holding the Hawks to just two shots on net which were handled by starting keeper Colton Bagnall-Drought. David Filart did not face a shot in the final 10 minutes of the game. CSM keeper Baptiste Berthozat made six stops in the game.
With the win, CCBC Essex also claims the Mid-East District title and will advance to the 2023 NJCAA Division II Championships November 12-18 in Tucson, Arizona.
NJCAA Region 20 Division II Men's Soccer Championship Central