Panajia scores twice as Cougars (MCC) beat Cougars (Holyoke) 3-0

Giuseppe Panajia (Glastonbury) scored twice and Hami Kara (Wethersfield) made four saves as MCC improved to 10-1 with a 3-0 win over Holyoke CC (2-7-2) in Manchester Thursday afternoon.

Frank Busumbru (South Windsor) scored his team leading sixth goal as the Cougars turned in their ninth shutout of the season. MCC has allowed just two goals over 11 games and has won 21 straight NJCAA Region XXI games, including five against Division I opponents.

“Hami had a pure shutout and the defense kept us in the game until we could break them down,” MCC Head Coach Jim Insinga said. “They (Holyoke) were much improved and we needed more time to break them down.”

MCC won the first meeting between the two teams who call themselves Cougars, 4-0 in Holyoke on September 15th.

Panajia’s first goal came on a penalty kick for a Holyoke hand ball in the box at the 13 minute and was the lone tally in the first half. The MCC Cougars dominated play throughout the game, taking 22 shots on goal to Holyoke’s five.

“We had a lot of shots on goal, but couldn’t get the ball in the net,” Insinga said. MCC also hit the goalpost on two occasions.

Busumbru’s goal with 21 minutes to play gave the Cougars some breathing room, and Panajia’s second goal, his fifth of the season in the game’s final minute, was an afterthought. Tony Scotti (Bristol) and Shavar Duncan (Montego Bay, JA) made nice plays to set up Busumbru’s goal.

Ken Rossignol (Manchester), a key member of Insinga’s defensive backfield, played his first game after being named a captain, joining Kara and Kevin Battista (Enfield).

“We made Kenny a captain recently,” Insinga said. “And it’s well deserved. He’s been a leader on the defense and a big part of us giving up just two goals in 11 games.”