MCC Men Ready for National Championship Tournament

DALLAS, TX – Back in August when the 2008 MCC men’s soccer team was in its embryonic stage, there was a feeling that the team would be pretty good.
National Championship good? Perhaps, but a 4-3 loss in the season opener in Fall River, MA, the Cougars realized there was a lot of work to be done. They recovered and lost just one more game the rest of the way and are now two wins away from a NJCAA Division III National Championship.
The Cougars (17-2-1) advanced to the National tournament last Saturday on penalty kicks in a brutal District 3 championship game that ended in a 3-3 tie. The team spent the week recovering with light practices and traveled to Dallas Thursday evening in preparation for Saturday’s semi-final game against Triton (Ill.) College at 12:15pm. Central Time (1:15 EST).
“Playing Triton in the first game early afternoon is good for us,” MCC Coach Jim Insinga said. “They are the fourth seed and we’re the first seed. I think the match-ups favor us in this game.” Insinga is in his ninth season at MCC and took his 2002 team to the final four.
The Cougars are riding a 13-game unbeaten streak with 14 of their 17 wins coming in the form of shutouts.
MCC is armed with Jemmy Cange, Division III’s leading scorer with 31 goals and 11 assists. “He’s scored goals against some of the best defenses that we have in the northeast,” Insinga said of the former Haiti National team player. “Suffolk County only gave up a half a dozen goals all year and Jemmy put in three.”
At the other end, goalkeeper Jeff Gregor has been a force throughout the fall. The sophomore captain had allowed just three goals coming into the district championship game and goes into the tournament with a 0.529 GAA.
“I think Gregor is going to shine,” Insinga said. “Technically he is good. He’s got the physical presence to knock down balls. He’s 6’4, got a big wing span, very, very quick and can move on the ground like a much smaller guy. He can get to the corners, the upper corners and very difficult to score against.”
Insinga is confident his team’s success in New England will continue at the national level.
“We beat the no. 1 team in the country, we’ve been to the national final four before so we’re comfortable coaching-wise with what is going to happen and I think we have a shot at getting through this,” Insinga said.
The winner will move on the play for the NJCAA Division III National Championship Sunday at 1:30 pm Central Time (2:30 EST.)