Estherville, IA—The No. 6 Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer team dominated the second half en route to a 3-1 win at Iowa Lakes Community College on Tuesday evening. The Tigers remain unbeaten at 15-0-2 overall and 11-0-2 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play.
Thiago Fernandes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Dom Oton Mota) scored the Tigers' first goal with just over a minute to play in the first half while Fernando Gutierrez (Ibiza, Spain/I.E.S. Algarb) and Sirleaf Wiah (Brooklyn Park, MN/Prairie Seeds) added late second half goals to push MCC to victory.
The Tigers took 17 shots on the day, including 10 on net. MCC controlled most of the second half, firing 10 shots in the final frame.
Freshman Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira), this week's ICCAC Goalie of the Week, stopped five shots in net for the third consecutive game to earn his 15th win of the season. The freshman made two critical diving saves in the first half, both on corner kicks, to keep the Lakers out of the back of the net.
With the win, MCC, who entered this week's NJCAA Division I poll at No. 6, remains in first place in the ICCAC with a one game edge over No. 12 Iowa Western Community College. The Reivers' match against Scott Community College was halted early in the second half on Tuesday due to lightning.
The Lakers struck first with a goal in the 14th minute against the Tigers. It was just the third time this season that MCC trailed at any point in a game and the third time the Tigers failed to score the first goal of the game. The goal also snapped a scoreless streak of 325:00 minutes for the Tiger defense, the third time MCC has posted a streak of at least 325:00 this season.
Struggling to get anything going offensively, Fernandes was able to create space from roughly 30 yards out with just over a minute left in the first half. The freshman pinpointed a shot that beat the outstretched arms of Iowa Lakes keeper Nathan Mahler for the equalizer.
MCC controlled possession from the opening minutes of the second half, creating multiple scoring chances. Sophomore Eniz Smajlovic (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) headed a shot that struck the far post in the 54th minute while Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) provided a second attempt on a header but wound up in the hands of Mahler.
Gutierrez netted his first-career goal in the 67th minute as Smajlovic found an opening in a crowded box with a slot pass to Gutierrez who made a streaking run and buried the shot for the eventual game-winner.
The Tigers' third goal came at the 82:59 mark after Morales played a long pass across the field, finding the foot of Wiah. The freshman beat one Laker defender and finished the play for his third-career goal.
MCC has locked up a home playoff game in the upcoming Region XI Tournament, with final seeding to be determined. The Tigers will host the game at 3:00 PM on Oct. 28.
The regular season concludes on Saturday as the Tigers host North Iowa Area Community College for a 2:00 PM matchup. Eight MCC sophomores- Smajlovic, Daniel Barrera (Naples, FL/Lely), Florian Caraballo (Cordoba, Spain/I.E.S. Medina Azahara), Jose Cordova (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), Isaac Moore (Des Moines, IA/Herbert Hoover), Agustin Ortiz (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), and Jeremiah Ziaty (Des Moines, IA/Herbet Hoover), and will be recognized during the day.
