The Tigers couldn't finish enough of them against Western Iowa Tech, falling 2-1 to the Comets in Marshalltown.

Sonosuke Kakizaki had the lone goal for MCC (5-4-1) in the 69th minute.

"All the boys brought the fight, we kept the pressure on," said MCC coach Chris Fuchsen. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to convert many opportunities."

The teams were tied at halftime and it wasn't until the 60th minute that Western Iowa Tech broke through on a Hangaram Seo goal with an assist from Riquelme Valdovinos.

Seven minutes later, Valdovinos took advantage of some strong wind blowing in that helped caused some confusion for the MCC defense in front of the goal and resulted in a 2-0 Comet lead.

"I think both teams had to play with the wind and figure it out," Fuchsen said of the conditions, "I do think it played a role in the second goal where it held the ball up enough that it confused our goalkeeper's judgment."

After playing two nationally-ranked teams last week, Fuchsen said the Tigers were ready to fight back.

"It's been a tough week – this is the toughest conference in the nation," Fuchsen said. "Our guys stepped up to the challenge, were able to get one back, and fought all the way through."

Kakizaki angled in an impressive shot from outside the box for his first goal of the season to cut the WIT lead in half, but the Comets successfully possessed the ball enough to limit MCC's time to find an equalizer.

"These guys have a willingness to work, to pressure our opposition," Fuchsen said. "We create combinations that can keep possession of the ball, and we were able to do that better in spells today. But with the competitiveness of the game, it wasn't always easy."

The schedule gets no easier for MCC, with a Saturday match scheduled at Iowa Lakes Community College, an undefeated squad that is currently the top-ranked team in NJCAA Division II. The Tigers return home on Saturday, Oct. 12 against NIACC.

MCC will continue to work for chances to finish those opportunities on the pitch.

"We spend a lot of time on our style of play and end every practice with finishing, and you can see the quality of our finishes with the one goal that we had," Fuchsen said. "It's one of those things where you've got to grind and be able to take advantage of opportunities like that."

For more coverage of MCC Athletics, click here: https://www.timesrepublican.com/sports/local-sports/2024/10/tigers-tripped-up-by-wit/