Ottumwa, IA – In one of the most anticipated matches of the year across junior college soccer, No. 1 Indian Hills Men's Soccer and No. 6 Iowa Western Community College battled to a 3-3 draw at the IHCC Soccer Complex on Sunday. The Warriors remain unbeaten on the year at 12-0-2.
In a matchup between unbeaten Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) foes, the two sides squared off in a premiere National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) contest. Indian Hills erased a 2-0 halftime deficit with three consecutive goals, but a late strike from the Reivers proved to be the final tally. Iowa Western moves to 13-0-2 on the year.
Sunday's match proved to be the first of two regular season conference tilts between the two national powers. Indian Hills, who had won the previous four matchups, saw goals from three different attackers in the second half to rally from the early deficit. The Reivers outshot the Warriors 9-3 in the opening frame, but it was Indian Hills who held the offensive advantage in the second half with a 7-4 edge.
Sophomore goalkeeper Bernardo Manzano (Palmas, Brazil/Layton Christian Academy) stopped three shots, including a pair from point-blank range to improve to 10-0-2 in net this year.
The two sides are set to meet again on October 23 in Council Bluffs, IA to determine the regular season title and a potential automatic bid to the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament.
The Reivers struck first with a pair of goals on set pieces in the opening half. A free kick at the 22:43 mark followed by a penalty kick in the 40th minute put Indian Hills in a 2-0 hole heading into halftime.
The Warriors hit paydirt just five minutes into the second half as Fabian Arroyo (Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica/Liceo San Carlos) corralled a loose ball in the box to cut the deficit in half. With just over 20 minutes to play in the second half, sophomore Jeremie Truelle (Nosy-Be, Madagascar/Lycee Saint Joseph Pierre Rouge) crossed a ball into the box that found an open Lucas Bauer (Oldenburg, Germany/IGS Kreyenbruck). Bauer fired a left-footed shot past the Reiver keeper and tie the match at two-all.
With the clock winding down, the Warriors went to its key playmaker in Daniel Mulero (Asturias, Spain/Salesianos Santo Angel Aviles). Arroyo and Diego Lazaro (Laval, Canada/Horizon-Jeunesse) teamed up to slip a through ball to Mulero in the box who in turn fired a low-lying shot into the corner for the go-ahead goal with 6:54 to play. The tally was Mulero's team-leading 12th goal of the year.
Indian Hills' lead was short-lived as Iowa Western answered back less than three minutes later. An initial shot from the Reivers was re-directed from close range and found the corner of the net for the final goal of the contest.
Indian Hills has now drawn a result with Iowa Western in each of the team's last six outings. Indian Hills, who had previously lost eight consecutive matches to the Reivers, is now 4-0-2 dating back to 2022.
Mulero's three points on Sunday pushes the sophomore's season total to 34, third-most in the NJCAA this year and is the only player in the nation with double-digit goals and assists. Mulero now ranks fifth all-time in school history with 45 career points and fourth in program history with 15 career assists.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills men's soccer matches. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
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