Raptors Fall to Daytona State in National Championship Opener

Melbourne, FL - After defeating the top ranked team in the country to qualify for the NJCAA Men's National Championship tournament, the Raptors were given the tough task of taking on the new number one seed. Taking down the number one team in the country two weeks in a row proved to be just barely too much to ask of the Raptors, as they fell to the Daytona State College Falcons 3-2 in the opening match of tournament. 

Despite being considered the underdog coming in, the Raptors proved to be an even match with the Falcons. In the first half, each team took turns dominating play. The Falcons opened as the early aggressor, forcing Raptor's goalkeeper Thomas Mauro into early action. The Raptors defense held strong as the offense needed twenty minutes to settle into the game. For the last twenty minues of the first half, the Raptors appeared the team more likely to score, with Ethan Lane stinging a shot that required a save from the Daytona goalkeeper. The teams went into the half tied 0-0. 

Fifteen minutes into the second half, the first break finally occurred. Daytona State player Carlos Zambrano turned his defender in the box before unleashing a partially obscured shot that skipped past Mauro. The Falcons held the lead until the 65th minute, when Andres Javitt played a forward pass to Diego Ramirez. Ramirez cut inside the Daytona State right back, who toppled over the Montgomery midfielder to conceed a penalty. Freshman Sota Matsuo converted the kick to tie the score at one. 

The Falcons responded quickly, scoring two goals in the 69th and 70th minute to establish a 3-1 lead. The Raptors clawed one back in the 71st minute as Javitt was fouled outside the box. On the free kick, Matsuo curled a beautiful shot into the near post past the motionless Daytona keeper. The Raptors searched for the equalizer, but could not find a third. 

Montgomery College will need to bounce back quickly as they face Crowley Community College in less than 24 hours. The Raptors and Crowley will kickoff at 10:00 AM ET on Monday, November 14. The game will be broadcast on the NJCAA Network. 

Raptor Bites:

• The match was the first National Championship appearance for the Raptors since the program participated in the DIII tournament in 2015. MC last participated in the DI tournament in 1990