MVCC finishes second, Herkimer third at NJCAA soccer tournament
GASTONIA, NC - The NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament had a distinctly local feel even while it was not played at Herkimer College's Wehrum Stadium this fall.
Mohawk Valley Community College finished second as a first-time finalist and Herkimer placed third while Dallas College-Richland, a program with which local fans have become quite familiar over the years, added another national championship to its growing collection.
Richland shut out Mohawk Valley 4-0 in Sunday's championship match, earning its sixth consecutive title and 11th overall since 2002. The Thunderducks (12-3-1) had beaten Herkimer 2-0 in Friday's semifinal between teams that had met five times in previous championship matches.
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Mohawk Valley (15-1-3), seeded third, had beaten No. 2 Nassau Community College to remain undefeated through the semifinals and earn its first finals appearance. The Hawks started the eight-team tournament with a 4-0 shutout of Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester.
Richland took a 2-0 halftime lead in the championship match and got two goals from Luis Vargas, the first in the 18th minute and the second in the 81st. Jaime Mata made seven saves for No. 3 seed Mohawk Valley which was outshot 24-2 by No. 1 Richland.
Richland had outshot No. 4 Herkimer 15-6 Friday and scored once in each half with Vargas, the tournament's most valuable player, assisting on the first goal and scoring the second. Cathal Carney made six saves for the Generals (13-3-0).
Herkimer beat Nassau 5-4 in Sunday's third-place match. Max Pawlowski netted the winning goal in the 62nd minute after Herkimer surrendered 3-2 and 4-3 leads; Pawlowski had scored earlier following two goals by Shuntaro Morimoto and one by Jack Bowden. Seunghun Yoo contributed three assists.
Morimoto scored three goals and Yoo added two in Herkimer's 6-3 quarterfinal win over Camden County College.
Andrew Chmukh, a 2022 Sauquoit Valley High School graduate, and Alvaro Pineda were chosen from Mohawk Valley for the tournament's 12-player all-star team. Morimoto and Yoo represented Herkimer. Fusaikou Jammeh from Mohawk Valley was honored as the Defensive Player of the Tournament.
The Hawks and Generals earned Region III's two automatic bids, Mohawk Valley with a penalty kick shootout after its match with Onondaga Community College ended in a scoreless tie, and Herkimer with a 1-0 shutout of Genesee Community College.
MVCC women finish third
Amber Piersma scored the only goal and former Mt. Markham High School teammate Hannah Pcola made seven saves Sunday as the Mohawk Valley Community College Hawks defeated Suffolk County Community College's Sharks 1-0 in the women's third-place match at CaroMont Health Park.
Dallas College-Brookhaven followed with a 1-0 win over Delta College in the championship match and earned its third consecutive title.
In the consolation contest, Piersma scored a goal assisted by Central Valley Academy graduate Krista Panko in the 61st minute of play. Pcola led the Hawks (13-3-0) to their 11th shutout of the season.
Mohawk Valley, seeded third, had beaten Brookdale Community College 5-0 in the quarterfinals before being beaten 3-1 by No. 2 Brookhaven in Friday's semifinals.
Panko scored three goals with two assists against Brookdale, former Poland Tornado Alexis Bates had one goal and two assists, Piersma scored a goal, and Magen Canipe, another Central Valle Academy graduate, contributed one assist. Pcola stopped four shots in 71 minutes and Hailey Looman added one save.
Mallory Mowers scored with the Hawks trailing 3-0 in the 87th minute Friday. Pcola made eight saves.
The Hawks earned a spot in the eight-team national tournament by beating Jefferson Community College 4-1 in the Region III final. Piersma scored two goals with one assist, Bates had one goal and three assists, and Panko scored one goal.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament MVCC, Herkimer, Richland
