Rosemount, MN—Freshman John Krause (Slater, IA/Ballard) tallied the lone goal for the No. 15 Marshalltown Community College men's soccer team as the Tigers defeated Anoka-Ramsey Community College on the second and final day of the Kickoff Classic hosted by Dakota County Technical College. Krause scored in the 70th minute to lift MCC to victory.
After recording a 2-2 tie on Friday with The College of Lake County, MCC (3-1-1) battled through a series of injuries to pick up a win at the invitational. Krause was on the receiving end of a pass from fellow freshman Juan Carillo (Cordoba, Spain/CES Lope de Vega).
Head coach Rafael Martinez credited the strong play of freshman goaltender Julian Pena (Muscatine, IA/Muscatine) as the key to the Tigers' victory. "Julian was tremendous for us tonight, especially down the stretch," said Martinez. "He made some critical saves in the final five minutes to help preserve the win." The shutout is the second of the season for Pena.
After a scoreless first half, the Tigers took control of the game as Krause picked up his team-leading third goal of the season. Carillo played a long ball from the middle of the field and Krause was able to position himself in front of the last defender, finishing to the far post for the game-winner.
Martinez applauded the Tigers for bouncing back from a lackluster performance on Friday. "We really brought the intensity today. This was a well-fought game against a quality team. We suffered some injuries this weekend, but we were able to finish the weekend on a positive note and come out with the victory."
Krause also tops the Tigers offense this year with eight points. Both Krause and Carillo have tallied at least one point in four of the team's five games this year.
Since MCC began participating in the Kickoff Classic in 2011, the Tigers have posted a record of 6-0-2, outscoring their opponents 27-5 during the stretch.
Following a run of three games in the last four days, the Tigers will welcome an eight-day layoff before getting back into action on the road Sept. 8 against the Iowa State club team.
