ANNANDALE, Va. - Akeil John's second half strike secured Cecil Men's Soccer their first win in nearly four years, as the Seahawks took down the Northern Virginia Nighthawks 2-1 on the road Thursday afternoon.

Cecil's last win was back on September 18, 2018 when they defeated Allegany by the same 2-1 scoreline but in double overtime.

The Seahawks outshot NOVA 13-4 in the first half, yet found themselves trailing 1-0 after 18 minutes thanks to an early NOVA goal. Cecil finally tied the game with its first goal of the season via Ben Prest in the 36th.

The Nighthawks reversed course and outshot the Seahawks in the final 45 minutes (9-3). However, it was Cecil who would find the game winner on an Akeil John shot that found the back of the net in the 81st minute. A headed shot from NOVA three minutes later was saved by Aidan Hayes, his eighth and final stop of the match. The Nighthawks sailed their final attempt of the contest over the crossbar in the 88th.

Cecil moves to 1-1 on the year with the victory.

Box Score Highlights

• Akeil John and Jacob Brown picked up assists on the first and second goals respectively
• John led Cecil with four shots
• Joaquin Saavedra and Dariel Palafox topped the Seahawks with two shots on goal each 
• Cecil outshot NOVA, 16-13

Up Next

Cecil faces CCBC-Essex in the Seahawks home opener on Tuesday, September 6 at 4 p.m. The Knights are ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest NJCAA Division II poll.