Council Bluffs, IA – For just the second time in program history, the Indian Hills Men's Soccer team has won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer Region XI Championship. The Warriors knocked off top-seeded Iowa Western Community College to claim the title on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors claimed the region title and a spot in the upcoming NJCAA Midwest District Championship after scoring a pair of goals in the opening 21 minutes of play. A stringent Warrior defense held the Reivers, ranked No. 2 in the nation with just one loss on the year scoreless to earn the win. The Warriors improve to 12-8-1 overall on the year, the team's most wins since 2019.
"I'm extremely proud of the team," stated head coach Kevin Nuss. "They have really come together and understood what we needed to do. They have been a whole other level in the last two games."
Indian Hills will now face Jefferson College (MO) the winner of the NJCAA Region 16 tournament in the district semifinals on Nov. 4. The winner of that matchup will move on to the district championship to face the winner of the other semifinal matchup pitting Malcolm X College (IL) and Illinois Central Community College for the chance to earn an automatic berth to the national tournament in Melbourne, FL.
In the last three matchups with the Reivers, the two teams needed overtime to determine the outcome, including a 2-2 draw in Ottumwa on October 12. The Warriors wasted no time in building a lead vs. the team boasting the second-lowest goals against average in the nation. Just 56 seconds into the match, freshman Daniele Verdirosi (Rome, Italy/Araniti) scored from the left side of the net for the 1-0 advantage.
The Warriors continued its offensive flurry in the early goings and eventually doubled its lead in the 21st minute. Verdirosi found sophomore Kevin Mejias (Fermo, Itay/Montegiorgio Calcio) in front of the net who scored to put Indian Hills ahead 2-0.
The Warriors held the sixth-highest scoring team in the country scoreless through the remainder of the first half and the defensive backline kept the Iowa Western chances limited in the second frame. Sophomore Matteo Scarduzio (San Secondo Parmense, Italy/Fabio Bocchialini) pitched the shutout in net for the Warriors, his second clean sheet of the postseason.
"Our special players have been key for us but our strength has been the mentality and character of the team," Nuss added. "Everyone doing their part and being the best version of themselves."
Verdirosi's goal extended his total to 19 on the year, second-most in the nation while Mejias' score marked his 12th of the year, second most on the team. Verdirosi's three points on the afternoon gave him 45 for the year which ties him for third nationally.
The Warriors, who defeated Iowa Lakes Community College in the semifinal round on Tuesday, put six players on the All-Tournament team and collected four individual honors. Freshman Ron Becker (Tubingen, Germany/Evangelisches Firstwald Gymnasium) was named Tournament MVP while Verdirosi was named Offensive Player of the Tournament and Pietro Piacenza (Povegliano Veronese, Italy) was tapped as the Defensive Player of the Tournament. Scarduzio's two shutouts in the postseason garnered Goalie of the Tournament honors. Mejias and sophomore Kento Tani (Tokyo, Japan/Nihon University Sano) were also named to the All-Tournament team.
The win over the Reivers is the first in nine matches for the Warriors dating back to 2018 where Indian Hills won 2-1 in Council Bluffs. The loss also snaps a two-match losing streak to Iowa Western in postseason play
The Warriors' first and only region championship before Saturday came in 2017 when Indian Hills defeated Iowa Western 3-1, a victory that catapulted the Warriors to its first-ever national tournament.
Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming NJCAA Midwest District Championship.
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All-Tournament Team honors for @ihccmsoc��
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) October 29, 2022
Ron Becker - Tournament MVP
Daniele Verdirosi - Offensive MVP
Pietro Piacenza - Defensive MVP
Matteo Scarduzio - Goalie of the Tournament
Kevin Mejias - All-Tournament
Kento Tani - All-Tournament#WeAreWarriors #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/AW7sDIlhJ3