Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Men's Soccer team is set to open its second year under head coach Kevin Nuss as the Warriors host the IHCC Classic this weekend at the IHCC Soccer Field.
DETAILS: IHCC Soccer Classic
Friday, August 19 – Sunday, August 21
Tournament Central: IHCC Classic Tournament Homepage
Watch Live: GoHillsTV
Picked to finish third in the ICCAC this year, the Warriors are coming off a 7-11-2 campaign last season where the team reached the NJCAA Region XI Semifinals. The Warriors fell to eventual national champions Iowa Western 1-0 in extra time.
The Warriors, who went 2-0 at last year's IHCC Classic, will take on Johnson County Community College (KS) at 12:30 PM on Friday and Crowder College (MO) at 1:00 PM on Sunday. Johnson County and Crowder will square off at 1:00 PM on Saturday. Each match this weekend will precede the women's IHCC Classic.
For more information on the IHCC Women's Soccer Classic, visit: IHCC Classic (Women's)
LOOKING AT THE WARRIORS
The Warriors return just five members from last year's squad, but each veteran brings a wealth of experience to this year's roster. Matteo Scarduzio, an NJCAA All-Region XI selection last year, returns to the net. Kento Tani, the second-leading scorer from last year's squad is back along with Galder Gaztelu-Iturri who started all 20 contests in the midfield. Andres Valencia will anchor the defense in his final season with the Warriors and Landon Noe rounds out the returning group of Warriors.
The new-look Warriors feature a variety of skill sets that will look make an immediate impact in the ever-challenging ICCAC conference.
SIZING UP THE CAVALIERS
Indian Hills and Johnson County have squared off just once before, a 12-0 Warrior victory at the 2017 Wells Fargo Cup in Ottumwa.
Under second-year head coach Jeff Cole, the Cavaliers are coming off a 7-10-0 record but were comprised of a roster featuring just two sophomores. All but one of the team's top five scorers are back from last season, including Alan Lopez who led the program with 10 goals and 10 assists. The Cavaliers also return both goalkeepers from a year ago, Cole Stewart and Brandon McGaugh who split duties with a 1.97 goals against average.
SIZING UP THE ROUGHRIDERS
Indian Hills has met Crowder on the pitch just once before with the Roughriders stealing a 1-0 victory in Chanute, KS.
Under head coach Jason Bond, the Roughriders are coming off a 5-9-1 record, but five losses coming by just one goal on the year. The team's third-leading scorer from a year ago, Robert Chavez returns to the pitch for Crowder this year.
Indian Hills and Crowder could potentially meet again in the postseason as each team's respective region champion will earn a big to the four-team NJCAA Midwest District Championship in November with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Championship.
WHAT'S NEXT
The IHCC Classic will set the tone for the Warriors' season as the squad travels to the Reiver Classic in Council Bluffs, IA August 26-27. Indian Hills will square off with Barton Community College (KS) and Trinidad State (CO) before diving into the ICCAC conference and cross-division matchups. The Warriors' next home match will be August 31 against Southeastern Community College.
FOLLOW THE WARRIORS
Fans can keep up with the Warriors all year long on their social media channels:
Indian Hills Men's Soccer Twitter | Indian Hills Men's Soccer Facebook | Indian Hills Men's Soccer Instagram