2015 Region XI Tournament Championship Information
Des Moines, IA—Three second half goals propelled the Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer team into the Region XI Tournament Championship game as the top-seeded and sixth-ranked Tigers defeated fourth-seeded Iowa Central Community College 3-0 on Saturday at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines, IA.
The Tigers will square off against second-seeded and No. 12 Iowa Western Community College in the championship match on Sunday for the second time in four years. MCC defeated the Reivers 1-0 in 2012 to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament.
After a scoreless first half on Saturday, the Tigers made a halftime adjustment that worked to perfection as MCC netted a goal just 2:20 into the second frame. Sophomore David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) received a pass near the top of the box from Sergio Beresaluze (Novelda, Spain/Colegio Padre Dehon) and bent a shot that clanked off the left post for the initial lead.
Just under 12 minutes later, Gomez's former Marshalltown High School teammate Agustin Ortiz (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) bent a shot of his own from the far left side that rattled the right post and found its way into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Jeremiah Ziaty (Des Moines, IA/Herbert Hoover) was credited with the assist.
In the 73rd minute, freshman Ellis Buchwald (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) fought his way into the Triton box and was taken down to set up a penalty kick. MCC leading scorer Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) stepped up and finished the shot, his conference-leading 17th goal of the year, for a 3-0 lead.
The Tiger defense, as they have done all season, shut down the opposition the remainder of the match to earn the teams' 13th shutout of the season. Freshman Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) stopped three shots, including a diving save from point-blank range in the first half to blank the Tritons.
MCC has now defeated Iowa Central three times this season, all by way of shutout.
The Tigers and Iowa Western will square off at 12:00 PM at the Cownie Soccer Complex on Sunday for a berth in the national tournament. The two teams have played a total of 220:00 over two matches this season with neither side allowing a goal.
Live stream of Sunday's match will be made available on Sunday. Visit www.mccathletics.com for full coverage.
