It was a tale of two-halves on a Thursday in Enid. The Connors State men's soccer team raced out to a 2-0 lead at half-time before Rose State scored two goals of their own to force sudden death.
In the NJCAA, overtime is sudden-death, and with 10 seconds left and a favorable wind at their back, the Raiders found the one goal they need to advance and send the Cowboys home early.
For asheartbreaking of an end that was, the season was a resounding success on multiple fronts. From the opening training session on August 11th when the players met for the first time to October, the growth of the team and impact they've had in the region has been apparent. The team recorded their first win in September, holding off a late comeback attempt from Rich Mountain to record a 3-2 result at Hatbox.
They followed that result with a 2-1 upset of Rose State in Midwest City, the second of three contests against the Raiders that all ended with a one goal margin, creating a must watch fixture every time the two teams met. Two draws against NEO and a second win against Rich Mountain were enough to power Connors State to the fifth seed, and in the process the Cowboys became the only first year program in the NJCAA to qualify for their regional tournament.
Connors State will have a solid core to build around in year two. In the attack, seven different players scored goals, led by freshman Yaw Frimpong who scored eight goals en route to earning Region 2 and National Player of the Week honors and being named to the All-Region Second Team.
Defensively, the Cowboys are led by a pair of quality center backs and a pair of goalkeepers. Miguel Gonzales and Chris Drysdale started all but three games together at center back, forming a partnership that drew praise from coaches around the region and will only improve ahead of next season. Gonzales in particular earned recognition from coaches around the region for his ability to step into the midfield and was called "the Spanish John Stones" by one coach.
In goal, Alvaro Becerril and Jelan Ward split the majority of the matches, with each earning two wins on the season. Becerill recorded 54 saves while Ward made 27 stops. Additionally, Ward's two wins were shutouts and his performance against Rich Mountain in the regular season finale earned him Region 2 and National Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
Head coach Adam Skolnick was full of praise for the job the team did this season.
"To do what we did in our first season is spectacular. It's not easy as a first year program to compete like we did where no team was ever able to play us out of the park. We have laid down a great foundation to build on for the next season. This group of young men showed the Connors is going to be a very special program for many years to come."