Roadrunner Men's Soccer Coach George Hobbins is cautiously optimistic as his club steps on to the home field for their biggest game this season, Saturday's Region 19 North Atlantic District B championship game vs. visiting Ocean County College.

But it won't be easy, and Coach Hobbins will be the first to attest to this despite the fact that he is fielding perhaps the finest team in his storied coaching career.

The No. 1 seed Roadrunners enter the title match with a 13-3-1 record, including a 10-game unbeaten streak and an impressive 6-0 semifinal win over Northampton on Tuesday. The one blemish during that streak was a 2-2 tie at home vs. this same Vikings' team in October. The Runners held a 2-0 halftime lead but could not pull out the win thanks to a second-half OCC rally.

The No. 2 seed Vikings enter the contest with a 10-1-4 overall following a semifinal win over Prince George's early in the week.

"They are a well-coached team, they work hard, and they deserve to be here," said Hobbins. "We saw what they could do in our regular season game when we held a lead but we're outplayed in the second half. We expect another dogfight and we have to be ready for everything."

Offensively, the Runners have a well-balanced attack led by top goal scorers Noah Heitz, Robert Piontkowski and Gilmer Mendoza. On the defensive side, Joseph Lomas, Lucas Fryc, Dwayne Small and Konnor Reilly have been among the best units in the Region all season. In the nets, freshman goalkeeper Lucien Maslin has been consistently steady throughout the Fall 2023 campaign.

The Vikings will be led by Region 19 Player of the Year Mattia Assante DiCupillo, a forward.

On the line will be a berth in the NJCAA Division III National Championship tournament for the winner.

"Mattia (Assante DiCupillo) is a force in the middle of the field and will be tough to contain," said Hobbins. "But we are well-prepared and will work hard toward winning this championship game."

Watch the game live at rcroadrunners.com/watch-live.

NJCAA Region 19
North Atlantic District B Final
Saturday, October 28 / 2 pm
Deptford, NJ
No. 2 Ocean County College @ No. 1 Roadrunners

Records:
Ocean CC (10-1-4), def. Prince George's, 2-0 in semifinal
Roadrunners (12-3-1), 1st-round bye, def. Northampton, 6-0, in semifinal
Live stream: rcroadrunners.com/watch-live