2015 NJCAA Region XI Men's Soccer Tournament
The top-seeded and sixth-ranked Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer team is set to host the quarterfinal round of the 2015 NJCAA Region XI Tournament on Wednesday afternoon as the Tigers take on ninth-seeded Dakota County Technical College at 3:00 PM.
The Tigers (16-0-2), ranked No. 6 in this week's NJCAA Division I poll and No. 5 in the NSCAA Division I poll, will square off with Dakota County (12-6-2) in the playoffs for the fourth time in program history. The sixth-seeded Blue Knights defeated the second-seeded Tigers 2-1 in the quarterfinal round in 2013 and 3-2 in double overtime in 2011 when the Tigers were the third seed and Dakota County was the sixth seed.
MCC bested the Blue Knights in both 2006 and 2007, the last two years that the Tigers held the No. 1 overall seed in the Region XI Tournament. MCC dropped Dakota County 7-0 in 2007 en route to the National Tournament and won 3-2 in overtime in 2006.
The Tigers capped off its first-ever unbeaten season and claimed the regular season championship with a 2-0 victory on Saturday against North Iowa Area Community College. The shutout was the 12th for the Tigers this year, a school record.
The Blue Knights, members of Region XIII, are placed in the Region XI Tournament each year and received the No. 9 seed in this year's bracket. Dakota County defeated No. 8 seed Northeast Community College 3-2 on Monday afternoon to set up Wednesday's match at MCC. The Blue Knights have won five of their previous six games and are led by Samuel Contreras' nine goals and 27 points on the year.
Max Chase has been the team's primary goalkeeper, posting an 11-4-2 record with five shutouts on the year and a .756 save percentage. The Blue Knights have outscored their opponents 46-31 in 2015.
The Tigers have boasted one of the top goalkeepers and defensive lines in the nation throughout the season. Freshman Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) ranks second in the nation in goals against average with a 0.39 mark, but has played more than 100 minutes more than any goalie in the top 10. Pereira's nine shutouts are also tied for first in the nation.
On the other end of the field, the Tigers' offense has been led by another freshman, Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH). Morales finished the regular season with 13 goals and 31 points, the best marks in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) this season. Adrian Gomez (Ponteareas, Spain/Aceimar) and David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) have added 22 and 19 points, respectively.
The Tigers are 9-3 in the Region XI Tournament since 2006. In 2014 as the No. 2 seed, the Tigers defeated No. 7 seed Scott Community College 3-0 at home before falling to No. 3 seed Iowa Lakes Community College 3-1.
The final four of the Region XI Tournament will be played at the Cownie Sports Complex in Des Moines, IA. With a win on Wednesday, the Tigers will play at 12:00 PM on Saturday against the winner of No. 4 Iowa Central Community College and No. 5 Indian Hills Community College.
The championship match will be played at 12:00 PM on Sunday.
