Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer player Alberto Morales (Granada, Spain/Santa Fe DH) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Queens University for the upcoming season. Morales helped lead the Tigers to one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2015.
Morales becomes the third Tiger to sign with Queens in the last two seasons. Former MCC standouts Juan Carrillo and Celes Vilar, both members of the 2013 and 2014 MCC teams signed with Queens last season.
"I made the decision to attend Queens University because I really enjoy their style of play. It's a very good university with the academic programs that I am interested in. The school has a lot of great people that will support you."
In his inaugural season at MCC in 2015, Morales led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with 17 goals and 39 points. His 17 goals are tied for sixth-most in program-history in a single season while his 39 points in a season ranks ninth most.
Morales came on to the scene right away for the Tigers, scoring four goals in his first two career games. The freshman scored at least two goals in a game five times on the year, including a season-best four goals against Scott Community College on Oct. 9. Morales and the Tigers posted a record of 18-1-2 on the year, reaching the Region XI Championship game and claiming the regular season ICCAC title.
"MCC helped me to adapt to a new style of soccer," Morales stated. "I was introduced to the American style of play where it is more physical and disciplinary compared to Spain. MCC helped me prepare to move on to the next level."
"My time at Marshalltown was one of the best years of my life. I met a lot of great people here and made many friends. Everyone is very friendly which makes it much easier for international students to enjoy their time at Marshalltown."
Morales pointed to a number of individuals who helped him adapt to life at Marshalltown. "I'd like to thank coach Rafa (Martinez) for making me feel important to the team. Also, a special mention to assistant coach Chris (Fuchsen) for showing me how important it is to be in good form in each match. You can spend hours with him talking about soccer and I really enjoyed that. Also, my academic advisor Julia (Aguilar) was one of the most influential people I met during my time at MCC. She helped with everything from school to personal problems and made my time at Marshalltown great."
MCC head coach Rafael Martinez expressed his excitement for Morales to join a premier program after a stellar year at MCC. "Alberto arrived on campus with the clear objective of becoming a leader and key member of our program, and his numbers showed his impact. He was also a very positive member of the group, always trying to add to the team and his teammates. I am very happy that his time at MCC helped him reach a high quality program in a very prestigious institution like Quens. I know coach Carias will continue to develop him into a successful student-athlete. We thank him for his time at MCC and wish him the very best."
Queens is a NCAA Division II institution and members of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) located in Charlotte, NC. The team posted a 10-8-1 record in 2015 and made a strong run through the SAC Tournament, reaching the championship game. Vilar appeared in 15 games for the Royals, making nine starts and scoring two goals. Carrillo, a two-time NJCAA All-American at MCC, appeared in the team's first three games before suffering a season-ending injury. Both players will return for the 2016 season to team up with Morales.
Morales intends to study Sport Management and Physical Therapy at Queens.