Columbia, MD - The pair of Howard Community College Rocket League teams found tough competition in the NECC placement tournament as they were able to win a single game against Hood College.
The Dragons Team 1 were able to win a come from behind victory against the Hood College Grey Team as they lost round one 2-0 before coming back with a 2-0 win in round two and a 7-0 win in round three to take the best of three match.
Oscar Minota (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led the way with four goals and three assists in the series while
Jeremy Hotchkiss (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) added three goals and
Matthew Peck (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) chipped in two.
After that things got particularly tough as Team 1 lost games to Kansas Wesleyan, Hood College Blue Team, and Valparaiso. The Hood College Blue match was of particular interest with Logan Ghandi making an impactful debut with four goals, three saves and an assist in the two game series.
Team 2 also took a shot at the Hood College Grey Team, winning a dramatic 2-1 overtime game in round one with
Josh Leiva (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) scoring both goals and
Garrett Neumann (Elkridge, MD/Howard) coming up with two saves and
Daniel Varga (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) saving one as well. Hood College came back to win a tight round two 1-0 before dropping the deciding round three 4-0.
Team 2 also took on tough tests in Kansas Wesleyan, California State Dominguez, and Becker College, but were unable to break through with a victory.
The next Rocket League match will see Howard Community College take on the University of Alabama in a historic match on Thursday, September 17 at 8:30 PM.
