Photo Gallery: Sophomore Signing Day
Eight members of the Marshalltown Community College men's soccer program have accepted scholarship offers to continue their athletic and academic careers at the four-year level. One of the most successful classes in program history, the group helped lead the Tigers to 33 victories the past two seasons.
Among an abundance of both individual and team accolades, the Tigers reached consecutive NJCAA Region XI Championship games and appeared in every national ranking over the past two seasons, tying a program mark with a spot at the No. 3 ranking in 2016.
"This is a very happy day for the MCC soccer family," exclaimed head coach Rafael Martinez. "All of our sophomores will continue to compete on scholarship for quality four-year institutions next year, one of the main goals we set ourselves for every recruiting class. This is a very special group of individuals, combining great talent, motivation, and character. It is not a surprise that all of them had many offers to choose from."
"Beyond their huge impact in our soccer program," Martinez added, "they have all been very strong contributors to our campus, with many of them being recognized for their effort and dedication in the classroom. I know I speak for every coach when I say that their time at MCC made us all better. We will miss them dearly and wish them the success they deserve."
Members of the MCC men's soccer sophomore class moving on to the next level:
Artur Aguiar (Fortaleza, Brail/7 de Setembro): Indiana Institute of Technology Warriors- NAIA institution located in Fort Wayne, IN
Thiago Fernandes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Dom Oton Mota): University of Illinois at Springfield Prairie Stars- NCAA Division II institution located in Springfield, IL
Fernando Gutierrez (Ibiza, Spain/I.E.S. Algarb): Queens University of Charlotte Royals- NCAA Division II institution located in Charlotte, NC
Miguel Jareno (Ubeda, Spain/I.E.S. Lopez-Neyra): West Virginia Wesleyan College Bobcats- NCAA Division II institution located in Buckhannon, WV
Pedro Oliveira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Estadual): Queens University of Charlotte Royals- NCAA Division II institution located in Charlotte, NC
Rafael Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria Vergilio Ferreira): Rutgers University Scarlet Knights- NCAA Division I institution located in New Brunswick, NJ
John Spells (Round Rock, TX/Round Rock): Ottawa University Braves- NAIA Institution located in Ottawa, KS
Sirleaf Wiah (Brooklyn Park, MN/Prairie Seeds): William Penn University Statesmen- NAIA Institution located in Oskaloosa, IA