Marshalltown, IA—A barrage of first half goals proved to be the difference for the Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer team on Tuesday afternoon, lifting the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) opponent Iowa Lakes Community College. The Tigers remain unbeaten at 8-0-1 and 5-0-1 in conference play.
Adrian Gomez (Ponteares, Spain/Aceimar) scored in the eighth minute for the Tigers for an early 1-0 lead. Eniz Smajlovic (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) and David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) scored eight minutes apart in the closing minutes of the first half for a comfortable halftime lead.
The Lakers struck twice in the span of 15 minutes midway through the second half, snapping the Tigers' school-record scoreless streak at 569:16, a stretch of 25 days. The last time MCC allowed a goal was six games prior to Tuesday's outing, a 2-1 victory at Carl Sandburg on August 30.
Freshman Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) made two saves in net, including one from point-blank range in the first half. Pereira also made several stops on corner kicks and crosses in to the box from the Lakers.
Adrian Gomez netted his fifth goal of the year in the eighth minute after beating a slew of defenders on the far side. The freshman made a move on the inside a fired a shot that beat the Laker keeper for the 1-0 advantage.
After missing the previous two games with an injury, sophomore captain Eniz Smajlovic entered the match midway through the first half and made an immediate impact, scoring a goal in the 32nd minute. Freshman Sergio Beresaluze (Novelda, Spain/Colegio Padre Dehon) sent a pass from the end line that struck a Laker defender, but Smajlovic corralled the loose ball and put a shot on net for his first score of the year.
Eight minutes later in the 40th minute the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick. Sophomore David Gomez stepped up and delivered a low shot to the left side of the net as the Laker keeper dove to opposite end to give MCC a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
MCC continued to hold its own to open the second half, but the Lakers did what the previous five MCC opponents could not do- score a goal. Freddy Fragozo broke the MCC scoreless streak after beating the last line of defense for the team's first goal of the match at 60:54. Fragozo then pulled the Lakers within one with another goal in the 76th minute.
Iowa Lakes looked to have one more opportunity after firing a shot in a crowded box in the closing minutes, but freshman Pedro Oliveira (Rio de Janeiro/Brazil) positioned himself in the right place to clear a would-be goal as MCC kept its unbeaten streak alive.
The Tigers have now won their last six home matches by a combined score of 15-4, dating back to last season.
The Tigers last three opponents- Iowa Lakes, Iowa Western Community College, and Iowa Central Community College all ranked in the top four of the ICCAC. MCC's next four opponents consist of the bottom four teams in the league, including the team's next game on Saturday at North Iowa Area Community College who is in a three-way tie for last place at 1-5-0. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM.
