Council Bluffs, IA—Scoring chances were bare on Saturday afternoon, but the No. 17 Marshalltown Community College men's soccer team made its biggest statement of the year, tying No. 8 Iowa Western Community College 0-0 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) action. The Tigers have now held its last five opponents without a goal.
In a contest of the last two undefeated teams in the ICCAC, both sides boasted their defense on a beautiful day in Council Bluffs. The draw snaps a four-game losing streak against the Reivers for MCC, dating back to the 2012 Region XI Championship match that saw the Tigers defeat Iowa Western 1-0 and ultimately advanced to the National Tournament.
The Tigers have not allowed a goal in the last 508:20 of action, a span that dates back to August 30 in a 2-1 win over Carl Sandburg College. The streak is the longest in school history. During the streak, freshman keeper Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira), who has twice been named the ICCAC Goalkeeper of the Week, has been in net for 489:80.
MCC controlled possession through much of the first half, but had few looks on net against the Reivers. Alberto Morales' (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) free kick rattled the cross bar in the 25th minute, but the Tigers relied on their defense to keep the team in contention.
The consistent backline of Agustin Ortiz (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), Miguel Jareno (Ubeda, Spain/I.E.S. Lopez-Neyra), Fernando Gutierrez (Ibiza, Spain/I.E.S. Algarb), and Florian Caraballo (Cordoba, Spain/I.E.S. Medina Azahara) forced multiple offsides in the first half, holding their ground.
In front of a pro-MCC crowd in Council Bluffs, thanks to the MCC Baseball team in attendance, the Tigers looked to hit pay-dirt in the second half as it seemed one goal would be the difference. However, both defenses continued to thrive in the second half as neither side could find an opening.
Iowa Western provided some excitement in the closing seconds with an indirect kick attempt just outside the Tiger box, but the defense stood tall to send the match in to overtime.
Another last-second attempt on net for the Reivers in the first overtime amounted to a misfired shot while the second overtime saw most of its action in the midfield, resulting in the Tigers' first draw of the year.
Head coach Rafael Martinez saw plenty of positive aspects that came out of Saturday's match. "We battled through a lot of adversity on Saturday. We showed our heart and our commitment to one another. We suffered multiple injuries throughout the match, but one after the other, players were able to step right in and continue to fight, giving us a chance. I'm very proud of the way we performed today."
The Tigers return home on Wednesday, Sept. 23 to host Iowa Lakes Community College (5-1-0/4-1-0), who sits in third place in the ICCAC. Match time is set for 4:00 PM.
