Northern Essex Community College men’s soccer team, ranked #10 in the week one NJCAA poll, opened the region portion of their schedule Saturday afternoon with a rout of Quincy College by a 9-1 final score.
The win was the Knights fourth straight and improved the overall record to 4-2.
Northern Essex saw eight different players score as they outshot the visiting Granite 41-9 in the game. Thomas Kotas of Methuen got the Knights on the board in the 11th minute with a header that beat the keeper into the lower left corner of the net on an assist from Cristian Lopez of Chelsea. The goal was his team leading fifth of the season. Three minutes later, Lopez recorded a goal of his own when he took a long pass from Christian Palacios, Chelsea, and sent it to the right side to beat the keeper.
Following a Quincy goal in the 23rd minute, Gabe Garcia, Everett, dribbled in from 30 yards away and beat the keeper across the box from six yards out in to 40th minute to give the Knights a 3-1 halftime lead.
The Knights would get on the board six times in the second half in a span of 28 minutes starting in the 60th when Lopez sent the ball across that a Quincy defender failed to clear and put the ball into the net.
On a scrum in the box off of a corner kick Mike Joseph, Lowell, would eventually get a foot on the ball in the 67th minute to make the score 5-1.
Edison Chacon, Lynn, in the 72nd minute and Kwasi Boateng, Lowell, in the 75th both recorded their second goals of the season, while Jorge Sanabria, Chelsea, and Devante Bucchiere, Newburyport, both recorded their first collegiate goals in the 82nd and 88th minute.
Dylan Gavin, Methuen, recorded two saves in net to pick up the win in net.
Knights return to the field Tuesday night as they wrap up a run of four straight home games as they host Holyoke Community College at 7 at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School as part of the Blue Wave event sponsored by NECC Student Life.