Marshalltown, IA—A late second half goal brought the Marshalltown Community College men's soccer season to an end as the Tigers fell 2-1 to No. 7 seed and No. 14 nationally ranked Dakota County Technical College in the first round of the Region XI Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers finish the 2013 season with a 14-4-1 record, matching the team's win total from each of the last two seasons.
The Tigers received the No. 2 seed in the tournament after posting a 10-2-0 regular season record in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). The Blue Knights, the lone Division I program of Region XIII joined the Region XI Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Tigers entered the game ranked No. 15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Division I poll and No. 17 in the NJCAA Division I poll, one spot behind Dakota County in each.
Both sides battled to an even first half but it was Dakota County who struck first to open the second half. The Blue Knights scored just 1:33 into the second frame to take a 1-0 advantage. MCC was limited in opportunities early on in the second half, but sophomore captain Alex Galvan (San Antonio, TX/Ronald Reagan) was able to net the equalizer in the 79th minute.
The Blue Knights responded just five minutes later as Sikiru Kareem, the team's leading scorer throughout the season, scored his second goal of the game to give the Blue Knights a 2-1 victory.
The game proved to be an equal and exciting first round matchup between the two teams. Both sides recorded just three shots in the first half, but MCC had two chances before intermission. Both John Krause (Slater, IA/Ballard) and Galvan had chances with under five minutes remaining.
With the Blue Knights leading 1-0, MCC appeared to tie the game with a goal from Roberto Velazquez (San Antonio, TX/Ronald Reagan) but the striker was whistled for offside. The Tigers offensive pressure finally paid off as MCC hit pay dirt in the 79th minute. Following a corner kick from Juan Carrillo (Cordoba, Spain/CES Lope de Vega), Galvan was able to corral a loose ball in the box. The sophomore turned to face the net and fired a shot that ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net to tie the game at one.
The lead was brief for the Tigers as Kareem was able to beat the MCC defense and fired a shot past goalkeeper Julian Pena (Muscatine, IA/Muscatine) for the game-winner.
Pena, named the ICCAC Defensive Player of the Week prior to the start of the game, stopped three shots on the day. The freshman finished the year with a 12-4-1 record and a 0.98 goals against average.
The Tigers finished with 10 shots on the day to Dakota County's seven. Both teams had five shots on net. The match saw a total of 40 fouls and a total seven total yellow cards in a game that provided a playoff atmosphere.
Dakota County advances to take on Iowa Central Community College in the semi-final round. The Tritons defeated Scott Community College 8-0 on Tuesday.
