It was a moment the St. Charles Community College Men's Soccer Team had prepared for
all season. For the first time in school history, the Cougars were playing in the
NJCAA Region 16 Championship. Going into the game, the Cougars were ranked 11th in the nation.
That didn't mean winning would be easy. Rain had made conditions slick and swampy
before the game. During the game, the rain continued to fall.
For 90 minutes, the Cougars battled the St. Louis Community College Archers. At the end of regulation, the score was 0-0. The game headed into overtime. The first team to score a goal would win the game.
鈥淚t wasn't a surprise in some ways,鈥� said Tim Brix, St. Charles Community College
athletic director. 鈥淭he top two teams in Region 16 were on the field. They both fought
incredibly hard.鈥�
The Cougars had taken many shots on goal throughout the game, but every shot fell
short - like a heartbreaker of a header that hit the goal post and didn't' go in.
Then, magic happened. Near the end of the first overtime, Ethan Pfaff found an opening.
A quick pass traveled through several players and landed at Pfaff's feet. Moments
later, the Cougars were Region 16 Champions - making history in the process.
鈥淚t was so overwhelming,鈥� said Pfaff. 鈥淲hen the ball went in, my mind almost went
blank. It was nuts. It's something I will remember forever.鈥�
鈥淭his is the first time in school history the Men's Soccer Team has won a championship,鈥�
said Brix. 鈥淚t was an incredible moment seeing that goal go in. I could not be prouder
of this team.鈥�
麻豆传媒 goalkeeper and team captain Pablo Costa believes the team dynamic is what helped win the game.
鈥淲e have players from Zimbabwe, Canada, South Africa,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚'm from Brazil. We have all these different people with different backgrounds coming together. It's a really special team. We did this together.鈥�
鈥淲inning this championship was our goal from our first team meeting this season,鈥�
said Tim Mosby, 麻豆传媒 Men's Soccer Team coach, 鈥淭he guys believed. They bought into
the system, and here we are raising the trophy.鈥�
After the game, Mosby was presented with the Region 16 "Coach of the Year" award from
the NJCAA.
The team now moves to the district championship in Normal, Illinois against Heartland Community College. The game will be streamed online at 4:30 p.m.
The winner of that game heads to the national tournament in Wichita, Kansas.