General 8/24/2023 10:00:00 PM Braden Mottor

Eagles Emerge Victorious in their Season Opener Against Southwestern Adventist

Game Film:
https://www.youtube.com/live/AT7G51FgSGc?si=pmPVLfuHexRMercl

Game Recap:
With a back-and-forth, high-scoring game to open the 2023 season, the Eagles were able to pull out the 4-3 win over the Knights of Southwest Adventist University. While goals controlled the scoreboard, the Eagles controlled the possession in this match. This dominance in the possession allowed the Eagles many scoring opportunities which they took advantage of in the 2^nd half of this game leading them to their first victory of the season.

After a defensive and possession-focused first 35 minutes for the Eagles, SWAU was able to score a goal from a header in the 37^th minute off a free-kick coming just outside the goalie box near the sideline. The Eagles entered halftime down 0-1 without an answer to the SWAU first-half goal. In the 52^nd minute, Eagles' junior Niwe Mugeni scored his first goal of the season with a chip shot over the outstretched freshman goalkeeper for SWAU tying the game 1-1. Just five minutes later, the Knights received a penalty kick opportunity and re-claimed the lead 2-1 in the 57^th minute. No more than three minutes later, a long throw-in from freshman Eric Romero found the head of junior Jacob Bundy to once again tie the game at 2-2 with just 31 minutes remaining in the match.

As the half progressed, the Knights grabbed the lead once again off a counter-attack with another goal coming from a header in the 69^th minute of play. As the game began to near its end in the 78^th minute, the junior striker Niwe Mugeni scored his second goal of the night with some beautiful footwork, leveling the score at 3-3 with just 12 minutes remaining in the game. Just three minutes later, sophomore midfielder Giovanni Pauliello stole a pass and sent a chip shot from over 30 yards to give the Eagles their first lead of the game in the 81^st minute of play. This goal proved to be the game-winning goal as the Eagles closed this one out with a final score of 4-3, defeating the Knights on their own home turf.

What's Next:
The Eagles will remain in Texas and match up against Dallas Christian College this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. This match-up will only be the second time in history that the Eagles and the Crusaders have gone head-to-head on the field.

If you would like to keep up with the Eagles' season, 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

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

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

#18 Jacob Bundy: D; 5' 9"; Junior

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#18 Jacob Bundy
: 5' 9"; Junior
: D