Kissimmee, FL - After a tie in their first pool play match, the Eagles knew they needed a victory in their second match in order to advance to the NCCAA Semi-final round. 

On Monday night, Judson took on Columbia International from South Carolina. The opening half was a stalemate as neither team was able to find a solid scoring chance. 

Coming out of halftime, Judson found an opportunity thanks to a handball, and a penalty kick. Mateo Vadora knocked home the kick for the first goal of the game and a 1-0 lead. 

The Eagles would take that lead into the final minutes of the game when CIU tied things up in the 80th minute. Similar to their run last year at the NCCAA National Tournament, the Eagles would end in a tie, and earn a point in the standings. 

Ivan Dominguez was credited with two saves. Judson outshot CIU 10-7 in the contest. Captain Gabriel Uno led the team with three of those 10 shots. 

On Wednesday night, in the final game of the pool play round, the defending champions took n Nelson University from Texas. 

A win by two goals would net the Eagles as the top seed in the pool, and a win of any kind would grant them the wild card for the semi-final round. 

Judson came out aggressive on the attack. However, the Eagles were unable to find the net in the first half, again going into halftime with a 0-0 tie. 

With a ton at stake, the second half was a physical and intense battle between the two teams. Nelson would get the first goal of the game in the 56th minute, and a second goal in the blink of an eye just 90 seconds later. 

Like a true champion, Judson did not quit. The defending NCCAA champions battled, and got a goal in the 69th minute to cut the deficit in half. Mateo Vadora once again got his team on the scoreboard via a penalty kick. 

But it was not to be as Nelson added one more goal to make it 3-1 in the 87th minute. A tip of the cap goes to Garey Mills of Nelson who scored all three goals for a hat trick in the contest. 

While Judson would have the shot advantage 17-11 in the game, it was Nelson winning on the scoreboard 3-1. The loss would knock Judson from the tournament, and end their season. Fernando Nkumah would lead the Eagles with four shots in the match. Anthony Cordova and Inigo Capellan each had three shots. 

For the season, the Eagles final record is 7-9-6 overall. For the second year in a row, their season ends down in Florida, albeit, a much different result then a season ago. Still, it was a competitive and positive outlook in 2025 for the Eagles. Competing in a gauntlet of a schedule, Judson will be back next fall ready to get their title back. 

Photo courtesy of @stasias_photography_