Montgomery Fends Off CCBC Catonsville with a 1-0 Extra Time Win To Move to 5-0

In a battle for second place in the conference, the Montgomery College Raptors men's Soccer team emerged with a tough 1-0 extra time win against CCBC Catonsville Cardinals. The Thursday, May 6 win puts the Raptors at 5-0 and pushes them into sole possession of second place in the MD JUCO Conference, three points behind top-ranked CCBC Essex with a game in hand.

The Raptors started sluggish, with the Cardinals the better side for much of the first half. Marvin Mendez preserved the tie in the first half, deflecting a volley from a Cardinals set piece. At halftime, the Raptors made some tactical adjustments, applying pressure higher up the field and were rewarded with more possession in the second half. Sophomore forward saw a late close-range strike parried away by the Catonsville goalkeeper and the teams ended tied at the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Raptor's fitness began to show through, and they dominated possession in the first period but failed to find the net. In the second overtime, Luis Aquino received a pass deep in the Cardinal's box and was taken down for a penalty kick and the opportunity to seal the win. Aquino stepped up and calmly slotted the ball away to secure the Raptor's perfect record.

The Raptors now go to Frederick this Saturday with an opportunity to seal home field advantage in the Region playoffs with a victory over the Cougars. Following that, the Raptors will face off with conference leaders CCBC Essex on Tuesday, May 11 at 4:00 PM.

While fans are not currently allowed to attend games due to COVID restrictions, all Raptors' home games will be streamed live on MC Raptor's YouTube channel.