NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Poll
NSCAA Junior College Division I Men's Soccer Poll
Marshalltown, IA—After securing the team's fifth consecutive shutout, the Marshalltown Community College men's soccer team was rewarded with its highest national ranking since 2007, coming in at No. 10 in this week's NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Poll and No. 11 in the NSCAA Junior College Division I Men's Soccer Poll.
The Tigers (7-0-1/4-0-1) made the biggest leap of any team in the rankings this week. After staying stagnant at No. 17 in both polls for the last two weeks, MCC jumped seven spots in the NJCAA poll and six in the NSCAA poll. The ranking is the highest for an MCC team since the 2007 season when the Tigers finished the year ranked No. 3 in the nation. MCC previously finished the 2012 season ranked No. 12 after reaching the national tournament.
MCC kept its unbeaten streak alive to start the season last week, defeating Iowa Central Community College 1-0 at home before tying No. 8 Iowa Western Community College 0-0 on the road. MCC has not allowed a goal since August 30, a 2-1 victory over Carl Sandburg, a span that has totaled 508:20. The five consecutive shutouts are also a school record.
Freshman goalkeeper Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) currently ranks fourth in the nation with a 0.37 goals against average, but has played more than double the minutes than the top three keepers. As a team, the Tigers 0.36 goals against average ranks second nationally.
Iowa Western (6-1-2/4-0-1) fell to No. 9 in both the NJCAA poll and the NSCAA poll to round out the rankings for the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). Monroe College (5-0-1) held on to the top spot while Eastern Florida and Pima rounded out the top three.
The Tigers host Iowa Lakes Community College (5-1-0/4-1-0), who currently sit in third place behind MCC and Iowa Western, at 4:00 PM on Wednesday.
