The Dakota County Technical College Blue Knights proved once again to be the nemesis of the Scott Community College Eagles on Wednesday, securing a 4-0 Blue Knight victory and eliminating the Eagles from the NJCAA Regional Division I Tournament quarterfinals for the third year in a row.
The Blue Knights earned the victory at the home field in Burnsville, where in the first half, Marwa Akway Omot scored his fifth goal of the season with an assist from Sam Tesfaye and Akey Jumale.
In the second half, Mohamed Ali Abdirahman scored a penalty kick to make the game 2-0. Antonio Coria scored at minute 70 with an assist from Jumale and Issak Haile, and Mackenzie Dykstra scored a goal with an assist from Steve Langemaack to lock the victory at 4-0.
Also adding to the win was goalie Stephan Early, who secured his third shutout of the year for the Blue Knights.
In addition to beating the Eagles during the 2005 and 2006 quarterfinals, the Blue Knights overall record against the Eagles is 6-1-1.
Advancing from the quarterfinals, the Blue Knights will now travel to Bettendorf, Iowa on Saturday for a 9 a.m. match in the NJCAA Regional Final Four Tournament, where the task of victory will prove daunting as they face Marshalltown Community College.
The Marshalltown Tigers are currently ranked tenth in the country in two-year collegiate soccer, holds a 13-1-1 record, and have beaten the Blue Knights twice this year. The Blue Knights’ 2006 season record is 10-10-1 and two years ago, the Tigers were able to eliminate the Blue Knights with a 3-4-overtime loss in the same game.
Saturday’s other semifinal match will see defending regional champion Iowa Western take on Iowa Central. The winner of this match will take on the winner of the DCTC vs. Marshalltown game in the Regional Championship at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bettendorf.