The Grand Rapids Community College Men’s Soccer team competed in a dogfight against undefeated Cuyahoga Community College but was able to emerge victorious with the help of freshmen strikers Chibambo Munguakonkwa and Jordan Marquez on Saturday, Sept. 23.
The Raiders were off to a shaky start in the first half, as they allowed a goal within the first five minutes of the game.
After this goal, GRCC controlled most of the possession throughout the first half but struggled to get any shots on goal.
The Raiders had opportunities to tie the game , including a few from freshman winger Lucas Freriks, but they were saved by the Cuyahoga defense.
GRCC assistant coach Mike Colago believed the first half struggles were due to a lack of effort and intensity.
“In the first half, I believe (Cuyahoga) had more desire than us, a team that played pretty similar to our style of play,” Colago said.
Heading into halftime, the Raiders were looking to turn things around.
“The message to the team at halftime was to turn the energy up,” Colago said. “ We told them that we needed more than what was happening in the first half. The first half was a bit more reactionary for us but (in) the second half we found more ways to play in the gaps and get everyone involved.”
GRCC looked like a completely different team in the second half. They had multiple shots on goal, eventually leading Munguakonkwa to split through four Triceratops defenders and score the first goal for GRCC off of an assist from freshman forward Pablo Lopez-Perez.
More opportunities to score followed this goal. Cuyahoga had a shot hit the goalpost on a free-kick while the Raiders had a shot from freshmen striker Mohamed Tamour that just tipped the goalpost.
As the game progressed, tensions started to flare as the number of fouls and trash-talking increased. This led to an incident where a GRCC player was spit on, but this did not result in any ejection.
The Raiders had another opportunity to increase their lead on a corner kick at the 26:54 mark, and off of a pass from Munguakonkwa, Marquez was able to nail the goal for GRCC, putting the score at 2-1.
From this point forward, GRCC tried to keep the ball away from Cuyahoga. Cuyahoga had a few shots on goal toward the end of the game, but freshmen goalkeeper Brett Miller denied any chance of them tying the game. GRCC was able to hold onto the victory with a score of 2-1.
“This win was a whole effort from the team,” Colago said. “The bench has to have energy, the players on the field need to be energized, and the captains and leaders of this team stepped up when we needed them to.”
With this victory, the Raiders remain undefeated in NJCAA play with a record of 8-1-1 along with a perfect 6-0 record at home. They get a slight break from game-action but return to play when they host Jackson College on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at MacKay-Jaycees Park.
