Men's Soccer 2021 Season Recap

Regular Season Recap:

The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 5-6 overall record, however those five victories all came in conference games where the team finished with a 5-3 record against conference foes. After an 0-2 start to the season, the team really came together and won their next three games by a combined score of 15-0. The men hit a rough patch again though, losing four of their next five games after the streak. The regular season finished on a bright note, with a 4-2 victory over Howard Community College giving them the momentum they needed right before the region tournament. This win against Howard Community College did not come with ease, as the Cardinals saw a 1-0 lead become a 2-1 deficit right before the half. Williams Yami came up big as he has all season, delivering the tying goal just 12 minutes after halftime. In the 78^th minute Mike Vasquez scored what would turn out to be the winning goal on an assist from Williams Yami, and just one minute later Yami scored again to seal the 4-2 victory for Catonsville.

Postseason Recap:

The Cardinals secured the #2 seed for the region tournament, in which they played host to familiar foe Howard Community College after just playing them the week before to close out the regular season.

VS. Howard Community College

This was a physical matchup between the two teams from very start, and Catonsville appeared to have the advantage early. Despite a couple of missed opportunities early, the Cardinals kept driving toward the goal and in the 29^th minute Paul Stavrou came through for the home team off of a perfect assist by Leslie Bynoe. This momentum carried on as just 10 minutes later Victor Bravo got in on the scoring as well on Leslie Bynoe's second assist of the night giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead heading into the half. The dragons would not go down without a fight however, controlling a lot of possession and working their way towards the Catonsville goal frequently in the 2^nd half. The defense held strong however, largely due to the performance of Graham Alvarez who had his team's defense under control all game. The dragons could not turn their opportunities into goals, and in the 78^th minute Mike Vasquez made them pay by sealing the victory for the Cardinals giving them a 3-0 lead. This would be the final score as the victory meant a matchup in the region XX final against CCBC Essex.

VS. CCBC Essex

The Cardinals knew this would be their toughest task of the season, as Essex had yet to lose a game on the year. Early in the season though, Catonsville played Essex tougher than any opponent did all season in a 2-0 loss. The Cardinals defense held strong early in the first half, but Essex opened up the scoring in the 28^th minute to give them the lead. The knights would score two more times before the half to give them a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime. Catonsville fought back, with Victor Bravo finding the back of the net for the second straight game to make it a 3-1 game in the 60^th minute. Essex continued attacking though, and would score two more before this one was over for a final score of 5-1. Goalkeeper Ricardo Torres did his best to keep the Cardinals in it with 7 saves, while Essex got off 25 shots. With the victory Essex is headed directly to the DII JUCO soccer championships.

Season Leaders:

Goals: Williams Yami-12

             Mike Vasquez-3

             Paul Stavrou-3   

Assists: Leslie Bynoe-8

               Williams Yami-5

Save %: Ricardo Torres- .747