PALATINE, IL-  The Harper College men's soccer team hosted the Elgin Community College Spartans for the Region IV Championship on Saturday.  In the win-or-go-home game, a 25th minute goal was enough to give the Hawks a 1-0 victory and a Region Championship.

The first 20 minutes of the match were mostly silent, with neither team having much of a scoring opportunity.  Both the Hawks and the Spartans traded yellow cards early, but that was the extent of the excitement through the first part of the match.  However, momentum shifted in Harper's favor shortly after.  Matthew Austin (Fremd) received a yellow card in the 20th minute and had to be subbed out until the Hawks had their next legal substitution point.  Just 4 minutes later, Austin was back in the game and made it known.  Jose Mariscal (Wheeling) fed Austin the ball and he put it in the back of the net for a 1-0 Harper lead.  The score would remain the same for the remainder of the half.

Harper was able to slow the pace down in the second half, allowing the Spartans only one shot on frame, which goalkeeper Kevin Sieb (Huntley) was able to contain.  The Hawks did not do much on offense and were able to keep the score the same through the final whistle, awarding the Hawks their 3rd Region IV championship in the past 4 seasons.

Matthew Austin (Fremd) was named the MVP of the Region IV Tournament while first year coach Andre Watson won Region IV Coach of the Year.  In Watson's first year at the helm, the Hawks are currently 11-5-2 and went 6-4-1 in N4C play.

The win puts the Hawks in the District Championship next weekend.  They will take on Anoksa-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.  The winner of this match will receive a berth in the national tournament.