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The Prince George's Community College men's soccer team captured the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 championship with a 2-0 victory against host Howard Community College on Saturday. The victory moved the Owls into the District 4 playoffs, where they will play host to Union County (N.J.) College at noon on Saturday.

PGCC (15-2-1) has been among the hottest teams in Division III junior college men's soccer, going undefeated with one tie in its last 11 games. The Owls won their sixth consecutive game Saturday against Howard CC, and now they must face an equally hot opponent. Union County (16-5-1) also has won 11 of its last 12 games.

PGCC beat Union County, 3-1, on Sept. 6, but Owls' coach Richard Todaro said that was before both teams turned the corner and began to display region and national championship form. Saturday's winner will be a serious title contender in the NJCAA tournament, which gets under way Nov. 14 at Herkimer Community College in Herkimer, N.Y.

"We really played well last weekend," Todaro said. "Their goalie was outstanding. He stopped one of our penalty kicks and he made four or five outstanding saves on shots that I thought were heading to the net. We had five guys make the all-tournament team, which is roughly half the team. We're looking forward to seeing Union County again. They were 1-5 earlier in the season and they've won almost every game since then."

PGCC will head into Saturday's game ranked fifth in the nation among NJCAA Division III schools, and last weekend's Region 19 tournament title vaulted Union County to No. 8. Todaro said seven of his players had made the All-Region 20 team, and PGCC had two of the three finalists for regional player of the year, but he was unwilling to disclose any names until after the season.

"I don't want them to start getting big heads," Todaro joked. "We still have some big games to play."

Adriel Garcia is PGCC's leading point scorer with 15 goals and nine assists. Laurel resident Anthony Okodua has 16 goals and four assists. Union County's Kemar Richards (12 goals, 21 assists) and Patric Temeus (19 goals, five assists) are the sixth- and eighth-leading point scorers in the nation, respectively, among NJCAA Division III players.

PGCC women's soccer coach Matt Geier said sophomore forward Amanda King, an Eleanor Roosevelt High School graduate who is attending the school on a softball scholarship, had been named to both the All-Region and All-State JUCO teams. King led the Owls with nine goals and added four assists, helping the rebuilt PGCC women to a 3-10-1 record, as the program resumed play after a five-year hiatus.

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.