Per usual protocol during the preseason, Roadrunner Men's Soccer Coach George Hobbins met with his assistant coaches to evaluate the upcoming Fall 2023 season. They felt plenty of work needed to be done.
"We had a lot holes to fill and we were concerned the season might be a struggle," said Hobbins. "There were no questions we needed to make some improvements."
Turns out, the veteran coaching staff underestimated the players on the current roster in a big way..
The proof came Saturday when the No. 1 seed Runners carved out a solid 3-1 victory over No. 2 seed Ocean County College at home to capture the school's first Region 19 North Atlantic District B championship since 1994 and first in Hobbins' legendary career at the helm of the team.
Kevin Martin added a late insurance goal with just over 2 minutes remaining for a 3-1 lead that set off a wild celebration on the RCSJ sidelines, including a noticeable fist pump by Hobbins himself. Hobbins was later doused in a Gatorade dunk courtesy of his players following the title win.
Anthony Delgado and Tyler Lowe netted earlier goals, with Lowe's score snapping a 1-1 tie and giving the host team a surge of momentum. Goalkeeper Lucien Maslin once again played well to quiet the vaunted Vikings' offensive attack.
"It is truly awesome to see how these players have grown and bought in to our program," said Hobbins, whose team extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games including two region playoff wins. "We picked up a few additional players as the season progressed, and they also helped to solidify our roster."
The turning point during the season came in a 1-0 road win at Sussex CCC on Sept. 16th when the team was short handed by one player. That win also was the start of the Runners' current 12-game unbeaten streak.
"These guys refused to quit in that game against a high-quality opponent, and you could tell that everything was starting to come together. Maybe, just maybe, we had something special here -- and it turns out we did!"
Next up will be a trip to the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Gastonia, NC from Nov. 8 -12.