No. 1 Knights Heading to Semifinals, Down Chargers 1-0

By Rocco Geppi

Wichita, Kan. -- The Knights are moving on to their second straight NJCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championships semifinals appearance after defeating Carl Sandburg College today 1-0 in a Pool A match. 

Riku Kawano (Tokushima, Japan) put a header by the Chargers' keeper Benjamine Hilton in the 60th minute off a corner kick from Andy Portillo (Laurel, Md.) and the Knights held the line for 30 minutes to advance.

"When I saw the header from Riku cross the line I was so relieved that we got a goal," Portillo said. "It was a very close game and the strong winds made it a real challenge to play, but we had to adapt."

Brenden LeMaster (Bowie, Md.) made four saves to keep the slate clean.

The Knights (19-1) had opportunities early and throughout the contest.

Essex's first chance was in the fifth-minute off the foot of Kazuma Ishizuka (Kanagawa, Japan), but Hilton was there for the save. 

In the seventh and 14th minutes, Marvin Martinez (Riverdale, Md.) had great looks, but put both shots off the post.

Their best chance of the first half came with six seconds left.

Takeroh Murakawa (Kobe, Hyogo, Japan) sent a free kick from just outside the box destined for the upper corner, but the Chargers' (17-6) Hilton made a spectacular save to keep it scoreless into the break.

In the 60th minute, Portillo sent a corner kick into the middle of the box about five yards off the line. 

Kawano's header slipped past the Chargers 6-foot-4 keeper to send the Knights to the next round.  

Essex remained aggressive through the entire game, outshooting Carl Sandburg 12-8 and earned seven corners, compared to just three for the Chargers.

"It feels great to be back in the national semifinals," Portillo said. "This is what we've been working for all season and we're not satisfied yet."

The win is also the 141st for Joe Fiedler as head coach of Knights' men's soccer and his 176th overall. 

Fiedler coached the men and women simultaneously from 2018-2021, taking the women to their first national tournament in over 30 years. 

Essex will play its semifinal match on Friday. The time is to be determined.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @CCBCEssexSports for the latest updates on the Knights' NJCAA tournament run.