Council Bluffs, IA – Lucas Bauer's (Oldenburg, Germany/IGS Kreyenbruck) second half goal propelled the No. 11 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Soccer team to a 2-1 victory over No. 9 Iowa Western Community College on Saturday afternoon to give the Warriors the outright Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) regular season title.
With the win, the Warriors sweep the regular season series with the Reivers and earn the right to host the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer Midwest District Tournament. The Warriors improve to 6-1-5 overall on the year, extending the team's unbeaten streak to seven matches.
"Proud of the way the boys battled today," stated head coach Felix Vu. "The energy from every player on the pitch and the bench was fantastic and a testament to their character."
Indian Hills used a first half goal from sophomore Gustavo Marques (São Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Indaiatuba) to take an initial lead before the Reivers squared things up before intermission. The eventual game-winner came from the foot of Bauer in the 59th minute while the Warrior defense kept the Reivers in check over the final 31 minutes of action.
Freshman Harvey Sellers (Surrey, England/Ewell Castle) secured the win in net for the Warriors to remain unbeaten in net to begin his collegiate career. Sellers improves to 3-0-4 on the year. Sellers has allowed just two goals over his last six outings and owns a 0.49 goals against average on the year
The first goal of the match came at the 28:15 mark of the first half as a streaking Marques headed home a corner kick from the boot of Andrea Oriolesi (Viterbo, Italy/Paolo Ruffini Scientific) from close-range. The Reivers responded 5:30 later after earning a penalty kick in the box, an opportunity the home team converted for the equalizer.
The two sides were deadlocked entering the second half, before Bauer took advantage of a Reiver miscue in the 59th minute. The freshman striker forced a turnover in the Reiver box to create an open net opportunity. Bauer received a pass from Hayato Morimoto (Osaka, Japan/Kokoku) before firing a strike on target for the go-ahead goal.
The Warrior defense held strong over the final 31 minutes of action, limiting the Reiver scoring chances to earn the program's first-ever regular season conference title.
Marques' first half goal gave the sophomore his fifth goal of the year, tied for the team lead, and 14th career tally. The sophomore now ranks sixth in school history for career goals and tied for eighth all-time with 33 career points.
The path to the NJCAA National Championship now goes through Ottumwa as the Warriors will host the four-team NJCAA Midwest District Tournament November 3-5. Indian Hills secures the top spot in the tournament and will play the regular season winner of NJCAA Region 4 while Iowa Western will play the regular season winner of NJCAA Region 24. The first round gets underway November 3 while the championship match is set for November 5 with all games played at the IHCC Soccer Complex. The winner earns an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Championship, which begins November 12 in Wichita, KS.
Next up for the Warriors is the regular season finale at No. 16 Lewis & Clark College (IL) on October 11 in Godfrey, IL.
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER