Cardinals Lose Action-Packed Contest 3-1

FINAL: Frederick Community College Cougars: 3 CCBC Catonsville Cardinals: 1 

On Tuesday, September 12th, the CCBC Catonsville men's soccer team faced Frederick Community College, in a battle between two of the top ranked teams in Division II Region 20 of the NJCAA. In an action-packed contest, the #3 ranked Cardinals fell 3-1 to the #2 ranked Cougars. The Cardinals now sit at a 3-3 record, and a 2-3 record in the division. 

The Cardinals' offense worked tirelessly to pressure Fredericks' back line for the entire match. Combining for 10 shots, the Cardinals offense did not make the life of Fredericks' goalkeeper James Bolin easy whatsoever. FreshmanMykal Hogan, was able to take advantage of a great pass from Abdou Loum, to put the Cardinals even with the Cougars at 1-1 late in the first half. Hogan played a phenomenal game, as he recorded his first goal of the season and created multiple scoring opportunities for the Cardinals' offense. 

Catonsville's defense had a tough matchup, competing against the current Division II Region 20 assist leader and freshman captain, Joel Jamieson. The Cardinals' defense held strong for the entirety of the first half, until conceding the first goal of the contest with 15 minutes to go before half. After the Cardinals scored an equalizing goal, goalie Franklin Duarte was caught out of the net for an easy goal putting the Cougars up 2-1 at the half. This is not a common occurrence however, as Duarte is having a phenomenal season, tallying 29 saves over the first six games. This places him as the #2 ranked goalkeeper in Division II Region 20. 

The Cougars opened the second half with a quick goal scored by forward Fabian Alcarraz Espinoza. However, Catonsville continued to apply pressure on the Cougars' back line for the entire second half, including forward Bradley Ramirez with four shots throughout the game. The Cardinals showed lots of resilience in their play and just could not get lucky enough to find the back of the net. 

The Cardinals look to bounce back on Thursday, September 14th against the Northern Virginia Community College Nighthawks. As the Cardinals are looking to improve to 4-3 on the season, the Nighthawks will be a tough opponent standing in their way.