The 3-0 MCC men's soccer team traveled to Waterloo to take on the 3-1 Red Tails of Hawkeye Community College. The Tigers controlled the game from the start defeating the Red Tails 5-1. Just twenty seconds into the first half Evandro Resende found the back of the net for the Tigers. After twenty minutes of play the Tigers struck again when Eneko Lasheras made a run at the goal and scored putting the Tigers up 2-0 early in the first half. Just a minute later Dominque Modeste broke free and scored the lone goal of the night for the Red Tails. The Tigers responded quickly when forward Kino Ryosuke found the net scoring his sixth goal of the season. In the second half, the Tigers continued to play well as goalkeeper Juan Gonzalez kept the net safe with three saves and the Tigers added two goals by Manoel dos Passos and Taiki Kunugawa with assists from Rafael Vacas and a joint assist by Kino Ryosuke and Torachiyo Machida.
Coach Rafael Martinez was pleased with the performance stating, "We seem to be taking good steps in the right direction and tonight's performance and score are evidence to that. The early goal gave us the confidence and composure to focus on the form, displaying some great moments of quality football."
With the game in hand, every player on the active roster was able to see playing time, "I am happy that all field players were able to contribute to the team, proving we have a very balanced squad full of talented and motivated players," stated Martinez after the match.
The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, the 16th when they take on the Reivers of Iowa Western. A battle between two top 25 teams will be a must-see. Coach Martinez moved on to the teams next opponent just minutes after the game stating, "We now focus on Iowa Central as it will require the very best we have in order to have a chance to come up with a win. I expect Saturday's game to be our toughest match of the season so far." The Tigers maintained their #13 national ranking while Iowa Western moved to #8 in the latest poll. Saturday's game will kick off at 2:00 PM on the Marshalltown Community College campus.
