Soccer Season Ends for MCC in Long Island with 1-0 Loss to Nassau CC

GARDEN CITY, NY – Jonathan Velasquez scored from 20 yards with 20 minutes left to give Nassau County CC a 1-0 victory in the NJCAA Division III District 3 Championship game at Mitchel Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon.

Nassau (18-2) dominated the game at times, but Manchester had several scoring opportunities including post ringing shots in each half.

Nassau CC goalkeeper Demetrios Toures made six saves while earning the shutout victory. Hami Kara (Wethersfield, CT) made 10 saves for MCC (16-2-1).
“We knew they were a disciplined team,” Nassau head coach Dan Fisher said of Manchester. “They are well coached and are a very good counter-attack team – I didn’t get that in the report.”

Nassau controlled the ball and had Manchester on the run in the early going. Kara was called on to make a huge save just five minutes into the game while Touros enjoyed the view from the other end.

“They sat back a little bit and counter attacked pretty well, but I think our defense held them off okay and our goalie had a tremendous game and he kept us in throughout the game,” according to Fisher.
The Cougars came to life when Giuseppe Panajia (Glastonbury, CT) hit the crossbar at the 27 minute mark of the first half but the teams went into the break with a scoreless tie.

“The first 15 minutes they dominated,” Manchester head coach Jim Insinga said. “Then we took it over, but somewhere in the middle of the second half, they took it over again. And that is when they scored their goal.”

Valasquez took a pass from Mark Guerrero and blasted a line drive to the top corner as Kara stretched and dove to his left. But the keeper never had a chance – the ball was swirling around the inside of the net in a flash.

“Velasquez was in the right spot, controlled it and he banged it home,” Fisher said. “He’s been a very consistent player for us all year and I’m glad he had the opportunity to win the game.”

Trailing 1-0, Insinga added a third attacker up front and the move nearly paid off. Panajia and Shavar Duncan (Montego Bay, JA) had a chance at a loose ball with ten minutes to play, but Touros covered it up. Panajia then hit the left post in the waning minutes of the game.

“This is a great team,” Insinga said of Nassau, who will move on to the National Championship tournament next weekend in Herkimer, NY. “They deserve everything they get. They beat the toughest teams in the country in Region 15.”

Though disappointed with the defeat, Insinga was proud of what his team accomplished during the season and how they played against its toughest opponent in 2009.

“We went head to head with them,” Insinga said moments after his sixth District Championship game at MCC. “It was a dead even game that could have gone either way.”