HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Northeast Community College men’s soccer program made history in dramatic fashion on Thursday. The Hawks overcame a two-goal halftime deficit and topped No.
1-seed Pima Community College in a shootout to advance to the championship match of the National Junior College Athletic Association Div. II tournament at Joe Davis Stadium. It is the first time that a Northeast team will play for an NJCAA Div.
II title. But the win certainly didn’t come easily for the No. 5-seed Hawks (20-1-3).
Pima (20-1-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by Jacob Lund-Iversen and Ismael Ruiz just 5:31 apart. Northeast’s comeback started on a successful penalty kick by Edouard Nys at 56:43. Marius Elmose scored the equalizer at 80:47 on a header off a cross from Ludovico Vicini.
After two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, the match went to a shootout to decide which team would advance. Both teams successfully converted their first three attempts with Len Valkema, Tobias Gerber and Hugo Munter putting the ball away for Northeast. Alexander Pritchard made the Hawks 4 for 4 before a miss by the Aztecs’ Ismael Ruiz opened the door for a Northeast victory.
Nys put his attempt away to secure a 5-3 victory in the shootout and get the Hawks past the semifinal round, where they were eliminated last season. Mathias Kristoffersen finished with five saves for Northeast. The Hawks will try to win the athletic department’s first national championship during S.