Mason City, IA—Sophomore Juan Carrillo (Cordoba, Spain/CES Lope de Vega) scored the team's first goal of the match, and later assisted on another to become the all-time assists leader in Marshalltown Community College men's soccer history as the Tigers dropped North Iowa Area Community College 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon in the team's regular season finale.
Carrillo teamed up with freshman Eniz Smajlovic (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) in the 50th minute inside the NIACC box to record his 26th career assist, surpassing former Tiger All-American Arkenson Neckels (2006-2007). Carrillo has now recorded 13 assists in each of his two seasons at MCC.
Head coach Rafael Martinez praised Carrillo's dedication to improving constantly during his two seasons at MCC. "What separates Juanki from the rest of the players is his work ethic. It is very hard to find a player work harder than him in practice or in the game. He is an example that his teammates follow. That work allows him to keep improving his game and that is why he can score on his own or read the defenses to set his teammates up for a score."
"I am proud of who he is becoming," Martinez added, "and I expect him to be a leader and example on and off the field in his future. His teammates have also made his success possible, and that is also something that I am very happy about."
With the win, the Tigers clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Region XI Tournament. The Tigers will host the opening round match against the No. 7 seed at 4:00 PM on Wednesday.
The Tigers (12-6-0, 8-4-0), ranked No. 20 in this week's NSCAA poll, allowed a goal in the 9th minute after a cross found the head of a Trojan striker to open up the scoring. Carrillo evened the match with his 14th goal of the season in the 23rd minute as defender Jordan Gilmore (Portadown, UK/Craigavon) played a long ball over the top of the NIACC defense, allowing Carrillo to beat the last line for the equalizer. The assist was Gilmore's third of the year.
David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) put the Tigers on top in the 34th minute on an assist from former high school teammate Martin Chavarria (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown). Gomez ranks second on the Tigers with seven goals on the year.
MCC carried the one-goal advantage into the second half, setting the stage for Carrillo's record-breaking assist to Smajlovic just five minutes into the second frame for the 3-1 lead. Celes Vilar (Las Palmas, Spain/San Antonio Maria Claret) capped off the scoring with a strike in the 60th minute from 15 yards out to give the Tigers the win and the No. 2 seed in the Region XI Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Martinez applauded the overall effort of the Tigers victory. "They surprised us on a cross early on, but we reacted very well, playing with good intensity and desire. The team defended very compact, we initiated the play with great mobility, and our forwards were always looking for options to be dangerous."
"I think we played our best match of the season which continues a trend right before the playoffs. I am very pleased with how well we are working over the last few days and today's match is evidence of that."
Carrillo's 13 assists this season rank third all-time for the single-season performance while his 82 career points rank fourth all-time, one behind former All-American Alex Rocha (2005-2006).
The Tigers have now recorded at least 12 wins in each of the last four seasons.
