General 11/14/2023 8:30:00 PM Braden Mottor

National Tournament Starts with a Big Win

Game Recap:
After nearly 500 miles traveled, the Eagles arrived at their pool play match against Southeastern Adventist University. With a defeat over the Knights on August 24^th, the Eagles prepared for a repeat performance and another victory. Although the game started slowly, the Eagles caught fire near the end of the first half and ultimately dominated the match with a 4-1 victory to advance one step closer to the National Title!

As the match began, the heavy wind gusts played an early factor as both the Knights and the Eagles were adjusting to the conditions. Although there was some early back-and-forth attacking the Knights were able to obtain three corner kicks inside the first ten minutes of the match, forcing the Eagles defense to quickly adapt and make some big stops. With 11 penalties and 1 yellow card before the first goal, it was evident early that this would be a physical match. As the clock ticked into the 31^st minute, the Eagles found themselves with a tremendous attacking opportunity. After a ball reversal, freshman Eric Romero found himself with space right in front of the Eagles bench. Seeing a favorable 1-on-1, he sent a long cross into the box. With precision and placement, South Region Player of the Year Niwe Mugeni found the back of the net with a header giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead with exactly 13 minutes left in the first half. Just 17 seconds later, the Eagles found yet another goal! With a steal from Pauliello, Chase Hawkins and Niwe Mugeni split the defense with their passing. As Hawkins put the ball just inside the 6-yard box, Giovanni Pauliello netted his 7^th goal of the season. As the clock neared 1 minute left in the half, senior Samuel Barragan found his first goal of the season at a tremendous moment. After a turnover from the SWAU defender, Barragan put a beautiful shot perfectly between the legs of the goalkeeper giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead entering the break.

With another physical beginning to the half the Eagles struck first to open the second half. After a rifled shot at the keeper by Pauliello, Niwe Mugeni found the rebound opportunity and finished his 9^th goal of the season and 2^nd goal of the match giving the Eagles a dominant 4-0 lead with just 35 minutes remaining. Just 6 minutes after the Eagles goal, the Knights found their first and only goal of an unfortunate deflection, in the box. With some late match physicality 3 cards were given out in the last 15 minutes of the match including 2 yellows and 1 red. Ultimately, it was the Eagles who emerged victorious with a 4-1 victory scoring them 3 points in the NCCAA National Championship pool play.

What's Next:
Thursday at 4:00 PM CT, the Eagles will face Grace Christian University. With a previous 2-2 tie on September 29^th, the Eagles will look for their second win of the tournament and advance into the 2023 National Championship game!

If you would like to keep up with the Eagles' National Tournament progress, follow @eaglespccmsoc on Instagram. For complete coverage of all PCC Eagles teams, events, and schedules, follow @eaglespcc on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Players Mentioned

#3 Niwe Mugeni: F; 5' 10"; Junior

#8 Chase Hawkins: MF; 6' 1"; Junior

#10 Samuel Barragan: MF; 5' 9"; Senior

#11 Eric Romero: MF; 5' 10"; Freshman

#15 Giovanni Pauliello: MF; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#3 Niwe Mugeni
: 5' 10"; Junior
: F

#8 Chase Hawkins
: 6' 1"; Junior
: MF

#10 Samuel Barragan
: 5' 9"; Senior
: MF

#11 Eric Romero
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: MF

#15 Giovanni Pauliello
: 5' 7"; Junior
: MF