For the second consecutive week a pair of Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer players have swept the weekly Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Player of the Week awards. Sophomore Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira) was named goalie of the week while freshman Kino Ryosuke (Hyogo, Japan/Takigawadaini) was named offensive player of the week.
Both players helped lead the Tigers, ranked No. 3 in this week's NJCAA Division I poll to a pair of wins last week including a 2-0 upset of then-No. 3 ranked Iowa Western Community College on Saturday. MCC also defeated Iowa Central Community College 2-1 on Wednesday.
The weekly honor is the second of the season for Pereira and his sixth overall after earning four nods as a freshman. Pereira was tested often last week, stopping a total of 13 shots while allowing just one goal. The sophomore put forth his best effort of the season against Iowa Western, stopping seven shots to earn his third-career shutout against the Reivers.
Pereira has posted four shutouts this season and 14 for his career. Following Tuesday's 7-1 win over Hawkeye Community College, Pereira ranks 15th in the nation with a 0.71 goals against average.
Ryosuke collected his third consecutive ICCAC Player of the Week honor after scoring two game-winning goals last week. The freshman logged both goals in the team's 2-1 win over Iowa Central with the second coming in the 71st minute. Ryosuke scored in the 14th minute against Iowa Western to drop the Reivers.
After a pair of goals on Tuesday against Hawkeye, Ryosuke ranks third in the nation with 32 points and is tied for fourth with 13 goals. Of the team's eight wins on the year, Ryosuke has recorded six game-winners which is tied for most in the NJCAA.
The Tigers head to North Iowa Area Community College for a 2:00 PM matchup on Saturday afternoon. MCC defeated the Trojans 3-2 in double overtime at home on August 27.
