vs. Columbia International
vs. Columbia International
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Faulkner University
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Talladega College
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
South Region Tournament
vs. Florida College
vs. Florida College
vs. Florida College
vs. Florida College
vs. Florida College
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist
vs. Trinity Baptist

Eagles Soccer 2020 Wrap-up

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The 2020 Eagles soccer season officially came to end November 19. The season contained both high and low moments for the team. There were great accomplishments with first time wins and scoring records set by players that were celebrated, but there were also tough losses and player injuries that had to be overcome.

During the off-season, eight players from last year's National Championship team, including National Player of the Year Jake McClelland, had to be replaced. The coaching staff went to work and brought in 11 new players.

After three weeks of pre-season practice and an exhibition game against Fort Lauderdale University, the Eagles finally took the field to play Faulkner University for their first game of the season. Though the Eagles lost this game, it served as motivation for their next game. On September 12, the Eagles faced Faulkner University again. Leading up to this game the Eagles were 0–4 against Faulkner. Clint Peterson put a header into the back of the net, giving PCC their first win over Faulkner University in the soccer program history!

After a historic victory, the Eagles faced first time opponent Southeastern University and suffered a tough loss. The team bounced back and won their next three games, including a dominant first-time win over Talladega College.

However, the tides turned once again when the Eagles faced NCCAA South Region opponent Bob Jones University suffering a difficult double-overtime loss. While the Eagles won their next game against Trinity Baptist College, two additional losses were added after the win.

Senior Night was next. Eight seniors on this year's team were honored for their accomplishments and their time as Eagles. These seniors had combined for 48 goals and over 24 assists. Their dedication and leadership had led the Eagles to two National titles and what would be three championship game appearances within four years.

Senior Night was the jumpstart the Eagles needed to finish off their regular season strong. In their final two games of the season, the Eagles faced two of the top five NCCAA DII soccer teams. After starting goalie, Adam Lund was sidelined during the Talladega game due to injury, David Cuevas stepped up during those matches and remained in the goalie position the rest of the season.  In their first match-up since 2017, the Eagles took down Johnson University of Tennessee 3–0. The Eagles then faced Grace Christian University, playing them for the first time in the regular season in program history. A double overtime 3–2 win allowed the Eagles to reach their highest power ranking of the season, fourth.

The next stop was the Region Tournament and a semi-final match against Trinity Baptist College. Although the Eagles had beaten TBC early this year, the Eagles lost in a penalty kick shootout.

In most cases, a loss at the Region Tournament would have resulted in the end of the season; however, the hard work the Eagles had put in during the regular season proved their worth, and the #4 power ranking gave them an at-large selection to the National Tournament in Kissimmee, FL.

Their first game at the National Tournament was against Moody Bible Institute and resulted in a 2–1 loss. For the Eagles, the loss meant a difficult road to returning to the championship game and to claiming back-to-back national titles. Their next opponent was Grace Christian University, the a team that the Eagles had won against in double-overtime earlier this year. The Eagles needed to win by at least two goals in order to make the championship game. They rose to the challenge and defeated Grace Christian University 3–1. The championship game was two days later. The Eagles faced Randall University. Though the Eagles controlled the ball for over fifty percent of the game, they could not put the ball in the back of the net. After the game went scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods, the winner was determined by a penalty kick shootout. The Eagles could not find the back of the net during the shootout and lost to Randall University.

While the season did not end as the Eagles had hoped, the players walked away with many accomplishments to be proud of. Five of the players received NCCAA DII Men's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week recognition. Clint Peterson, Anthony Ruiz, and David Cuevas received recognition as defensive players while Riley Rhodes and Zachary Kluever received recognition as offensive players. At the South Region Tournament, seven players received awards. Clint Peterson, Riley Buchalski, and Zachary Kluever received All-Region First Team and Anthony Ruiz, Daniel De Souza, Riley Rhodes, and Lucas Sampaio were a part of the All-Region Second Team. At the National Tournament, Riley Buchalski, Zachary Kluever, and Clint Peterson were nominated to the All-Tournament Team, and they each received an All-America First Team Award. Clint Peterson was voted United Soccer Coaches Top Defender in the NCCAA DII, and Riley Buchalski was voted United Soccer Coaches Top Midfielder in the NCCAA DII.  Riley Buchalski also received the most prestigious award given for soccer at the NCCAA DII level, the Kyle Rote Jr. award.

When asked about the 2020 soccer season, Coach Liwosz said, "This season and year has definitely been one for the ages. It was a season filled with ups and downs from injuries, COVID and other things, but the team found a way to come together and make it to where we did. We had a very new team this year after graduating so many last year, and the players worked very hard to grow as individuals and as a team. The struggles throughout the season helped us get the experience and knowledge that we needed to prepare us for the tournament. We started off postseason for regionals and nationals with much frustration and struggle, but the guys pulled together and played the best game of the season at the national tournament to allow us to get to the national championship match. We played well and were the better team throughout the match, but could not finish our opportunities. Despite coming up just short for the championship, our coaching staff was very proud of the team. They worked through this year's struggles and did something that many think could happen. In the end, we will use this as a motivation to come back stronger next year."

Although the season just came to a close, the Eagles are already looking forward to getting back on the field next fall for the 2021 season.
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