NO. 1 NORTHEAST BEGINS YEAR WITH VICTORY OVER NO. 17 ROCK VALLEY AFTER FLURRY OF SECOND-HALF GOALS

WESTFIELD, Ind. – The No. 1 Northeast Community College men's soccer team began their title defense Friday with a matchup against No. 18 Rock Valley College in Westfield, Indiana. The Hawks prevailed by a final score of 4-0 to pick up their first victory of the season.

Northeast (1-0) was held scoreless in the first half despite 11 shots compared to zero from Rock Valley, but the floodgates began to open in the second 45 minutes of the showdown. Len Valkema (Leewarden, Netherlands) found the back of the net in the 57th-minute and later buried a penalty kick to bring his goal total to two on the young campaign. Felix Bomber (Regensburg, Germany) and Mathias Overgaard (Kalundborg, Denmark) also scored their first-career goals in Hawks uniforms as Northeast will now prepare for another marquee matchup on Sunday.

STAT SHEET:

Goals: Len Valkema (Leewarden, Netherlands) (2), Felix Bomber (Regensburg, Germany). Mathias Overgaard (Kalundborg, Denmark)

Assists: Tyrell Giwa (London, England), Nicolo Donadio (Rome, Italy), Joe Uveges ( Nottingham, England)

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Head Assistant Coach Adriano Coppolecchia on the victory and performance of his team:

"I liked the way the boys responded in the second half," Coppolecchia said. "We made some adjustments to our playing style in accordance to the field conditions and the different factors in today's game, and they didn't panic. They trusted the process, kept creating chances, and knew the ball was going to find the back of the net eventually. That composure and resilience stood out to me."

Coppolecchia on what will be needed to prevail in the top-five matchup upcoming on Sunday:

"On Sunday, I'm looking forward to seeing us bring more intensity and passion from the start," Coppolecchia said. "That's an area I think we were missing at times today. It's going to be a great matchup against the No. 5 team in the nation and a program that has been to the final four twice in the last three years. Our guys will have to come in hungry, and I'm excited to see how they rise to that challenge."

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will have another difficult test ahead as they will battle No. 5 CCBC Essex at 9 a.m. Sunday in Westfield, Indiana.

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