The Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer team placed 11 players on the NJCAA All-Region XI squad after one of the most successful seasons in program history. Five players earned first-team recognition while four players earned second-team honors and two earned honorable mention status.
The Tigers five first-team selections are a school-record while the 11 players honored are tied for second-most in school history. The 2006 team placed 14 players across the all-region teams while the 2007 team also had 11 selections.
The 2015 Tigers set multiple program records, both defensively and offensively, and it was evident through the all-region announcement. On the defensive end, freshman Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) was named the first-team goalkeeper.
At the conclusion of the season, Pereira leads the nation with a 0.42 goals against average, having allowed just nine goals in 1924:10 of action. His 18 wins also rank first in the NJCAA while his 10 complete game shutouts rank second. Pereira finished 10th nationally in save percentage at .864.
"Rafa is a major part of our style," said head coach Rafael Martinez. "He initiates from the back with his great technical abilities. Rafa is a great leader as he was named a team captain as a freshman. He is very well respected on campus and is an "A" student. Throughout the season, he provided key saves against conference opponents, including huge performances against the likes of Iowa Western, Iowa Central, and Iowa Lakes."
Freshman defenders Pedro Oliveira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Coelgio Estadual) and Fernando Gutierrez (Ibiza, Spain/I.E.S. Algarb) also earned first-team recognition after leading the Tigers to a school-record 13 shutouts.
"Fernando is a natural leader in the back," Martinez continued. "He is the player that organizes and creates in our defensive third. His physical capacities and his understanding of the game set him apart. 'Guti' is another key piece to one of the strongest defenses in the country."
"Pedro was able to balance our team with his presence in the midfield. His willingness and capacity to work for his team were exceptional."
Offensively, the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) leading scorer Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) was joined on the first-team with fellow freshman Adrian Gomez (Ponteaeras, Spain/Aceimar).
Morales led the league with 13 goals and 31 points in the regular season, and concluded the year with 17 goals and 39 points. His 17 goals are tied for sixth in program-history with Alex Rocha (2004) while his 39 points in a season ranks ninth most, just behind former All-American Juan Carrillo's 41 in 2013.
"Alberto is not only a dangerous goal scorer, but also a playmaker for his teammates. He has a great nose for the goal and knows how to get into space. He has a high level finishing technique. Despite an injury midway through the season, Alberto served as a reference for his teammates upfront while providing hard work defensively."
"Adrian was our playmaker," Martinez added. "He set the tempo and the speed of the game with both dribbling and passing. He has been a critical part of our offense, always looking for options to be dangerous. He has a high level touch and mobility that allowed him to be dangerous in all spaces and can take over a game in any moment. Both Adrian and Alberto are the perfect partners for one another up front."
The Tiger defense was well represented on the second-team as well. Three sophomores- Daniel Barrera (Naples, FL/Lely), Agustin Ortiz (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) and Florian Caraballo (Cordoba, Spain/I.E.S. Medina Azahara) were honored while freshman midfielder Thiago Fernandes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Dom Oton Mota) was also recognized.
Barrera, a team captain in 2015, appeared in 19 games as a critical figure on the backline. The sophomore contributed two goals in his final season at MCC. Ortiz appeared in all 21 games and made 19 starts. A second-team all-conference selection in 2014 as well, Ortiz scored three goals, including one against Iowa Central in the Region XI Tournament semifinals, and added an assist for seven points. Caraballo rarely missed any time on the field for the Tigers as the transfer-student started all 21 games as an outside back, continuously shutting down the opposition.
Fernandes recorded nine points from the central midfield position in his inaugural season at MCC. The freshman scored two goals and added five assists while appearing in all 21 games.
Sophomores David Gomez (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) and Eniz Smajlovic (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) were named to the honorable mention team. Gomez tied for second on the team with 23 points on the year, scoring nine goals and adding five assists. His 40 career points rank just outside of the top 10 in school history.
Smajlovic was named a team captain in 2015. The sophomore appeared in 17 matches and scored three goals to go along with five assists, tied for second-most on the team. Smajlovic finished his career with 22 total points.
