Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 8 ranked Parkland College men's soccer team battled back from a one-goal deficit in the second half but fell short in a 4-1 loss at home to No. 13 Heartland Community College in the Region 24 Championship on Saturday, October 28. The Cobras (13-4-2) looked to regain momentum in the 53rd minute when sophomore Ron Naftali buried a penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1, but the Hawks (9-4-5) caught fire late, and Parkland lost 4-1 at the Parkland College Soccer Field.
 
After the game, Parkland College head coach Mark Sikora called the matchup an "Extremely difficult task today against one of the hottest teams in the country."
 
"Unfortunately, the result overshadows great efforts from Yahli Cohen, Ron Naftali, and Nathan Torres, who continued to grind away, at times picking up injuries, and just kept competing for their team," Sikora added.
 
"Obviously, this will sting for a while, as it should when you have very lofty goals of trying to win championships, but we cannot let the result take away from the great things that were accomplished this fall both as a program and as individuals."
 
Up next, Parkland will await the National Tournament Seeding Announcements on November 7, 2023. The Cobras will hope to be awarded an at-large bid in the NJCAA DII National Tournament in Tucson, Arizona, from November 12-18.