Eastern Men’s Soccer Team Wins NJCAA Region 2 Tournament, Carranza wins Coach of the Year

WILBURTON, Okla. – The Eastern Oklahoma State College men's soccer team won the NJCAA Region 2 Tournament on Saturday. The championship marked the crowning achievement for Eastern Soccer on a weekend that also saw three members of the women's soccer team named to All-Region teams, eight members of the men's team named to All-Region teams, Gustavo Teodoro named MVP  and Head Coach Gonzalo Carranza win his first Coach of the Year award.

With their 4-3 win over the University of Arkansas-Rich Mountain, the Mountaineers claimed their first-ever Region 2 Tournament Championship.

"I am incredibly proud of what this group has done," Carranza said. "It was not easy during regular- or postseason, and that is due to the quality players and coaches we have in our region. We hope to now represent them in our district final and hopefully at the national tournament. To Wilburton, the surrounding community, and all faculty at Eastern: Thank you for everything. We keep going and the preparation has already started."

The Mountaineers earned their first regular–season title and locked up the top seed in the Region 2 Tournament with their victory over Rose State College on Oct. 14. As the No. 1 seed, Eastern knocked off Murray State College in the first round of the tournament and a formidable Rich Mountain team in the final to clinch its first-ever Region 2 Men's Soccer Championship.

Britni Belmonti and Cali Sanchez were named to the women's soccer All-Region First Team, while Erin Tattersall was named to the Second Team.

Guilherme Domingues, Yuri Vasconcelos, Angel Caceres, Eduardo Santos and Gustavo Teodoro were named to the men's soccer All-Region First Team, while Peter Julmis, Harry White and Fabricio Lobo were named to the Second Team.

The Mountaineers will look to continue their historic season and avenge an early-season loss in a rematch against Western Texas College on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in Snyder, Texas.