After a record-breaking season, Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer head coach Rafael Martinez has been named the Region XI Coach of the Year. Martinez led the Tigers to an 18-1-2 record, the program's fewest losses in a season.
"I am very thankful to my fellow conference coaches for thinking about us for this recognition," Martinez exclaimed. "This is an acknowledgement based on team performance, so every member of the soccer program is a deserving recipient. Particularly deserving are assistant coaches Creighton Jenness and Chris Fuchsen who have put in extended hours of work to make this year so special."
Martinez led the Tigers to the program's first regular season Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) title since 2007 and just the third in school history. The 18 wins are the second-most in team history. MCC reached the Region XI Tournament Championship game for the second time during Martinez's tenure, falling to Iowa Western Community College 1-0 in double overtime.
Other records established in 2015 include longest unbeaten streak (20 games), most team shutouts (13), and longest scoreless streak (569:16). The Tigers finished the season with the lowest goals against average in the nation at 0.41, having allowed just nine goals the entire season, also the lowest mark in the nation.
Martinez coached 11 players that earned All-Region XI recognition, including the conference's leading scorer in Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) and the league's top goalie in Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira). Pereira earned four ICCAC Goalie of the Week honors while Morales was twice named the ICCAC Offensive Player of the Week.
The Tigers appeared in the national rankings in every regular season poll in 2015. On Oct. 13, the Tigers received a No. 5 national ranking, the program's highest ranking since 2007. The team finished the regular season at No. 8 in the NJCAA Division I Poll and No. 7 in the NSCAA Division I poll.
In six seasons as the head coach of MCC, Martinez has posted a record of 77-32-6 for a winning percentage of .696. Martinez has also posted a record of 49-22-3 in conference play.
