Mighty Oaks Fall to Ocean In Region 19 Postseason
Carneys Point, NJ – The Salem Community College men's soccer team suffered a heart breaking loss Saturday to Ocean County College in the first round of the Region 19 postseason tournament. The sixth seeded Mighty Oaks saw their first full season since athletics was restored at Salem come to end with a 3 – 1 loss to the third seeded Vikings.
"It's a tough way to end our season, but I'm extremely proud of our performance," said Head Coach Matt Murray. "They left it all on the field."
Ocean opened the scoring with a goal at the 24:00 mark of the first half. Pedro Paul Maia answered back at the 30:00 minute mark to tie the match. The goal marked the marked the sophomore's team leading eighth goal of the season. The match entered the half at a 1 – 1 tie.
In the 77:00 minute of the second half OCC took a 2-1 lead which they would not relinquish. The Mighty Oaks fought throughout the half but were unable to capitalize on several scoring attempts. Ocean added a third goal in the 84th minute of the second half to secure the win.
The first round loss marks the end of the first full season of play since Salem Community College made the decision to bring back the athletic department. The playoff appearance is the first of the programs that have returned to make it to the post season. The Mighty oaks finish the season with a 7-6 record.
"It was a great first full season for Coach Murray's team, and they competed like champions to the very end of the last game", said Salem Athletic Director Dr. Bob Bunnell. "I am grateful for the hard work that the entire group put into this season, and look forward to watching the program develop. Everyone on the team should be proud of their performance this season. "
"Overall, I think we surprised a few Region 19 opponents," said Murray. "We now have our work cut out to build and improve upon this year's campaign".