Wichita, KS – For the first time in program history, the Indian Hills Men's Soccer team has advanced to the semifinal round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer National Championship following a 3-2 win over No. 2 Tyler Junior College (TX) on Tuesday. Indian Hills advances to the final four as the Pool B winners.
A historic season continues for the Warriors after a remarkable come-from-behind performance at the Stryker Sports Complex. A goal with under 10 minutes to play from sophomore captain Jeremie Truel (Nosy-Be, Madagascar/Lycee Saint Joseph Pierre Rouge) proved to be the eventual game-winner as the Warriors finished the group stage 2-0-0. Three different players scored a goal in the win for the Warriors.
Indian Hills handed Tyler its only loss of the year as the Warriors avenged a 2017 defeat from the Apaches at the national tournament. The three goals scored are the most Tyler has allowed all year as the Apaches entered Tuesday's matchup with the lowest goals against average in the nation this year.
Making its third all-time appearance at the national tournament, the Warriors advanced to the semifinal round following two heartbreaking efforts in their previous two appearances in 2017 and 2023. Indian Hills is now set to take on Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) foe Iowa Western Community College, the top-seed in the tournament on Thursday afternoon in Wichita.
Indian Hills was forced to rally on two separate occasions on Tuesday as the Apaches struck first just 1:05 into the contest for the initial lead. Tyler maintained its advantage for the next 35 minutes until sophomore Daniel Mulero (Asturias, Spain/Asturias, Spain / Salesianos Santo Angel Aviles) netted his 15th goal of the season on a shot from inside the Tyler box.
The lead was short-lived as the Apaches responded less than two minutes later on a corner kick to jump back on top, 2-1 heading into the halftime intermission.
The Indian Hills offense put together a pair of scoring chances in the early goings of the second half before the Warriors hit paydirt to even the match a 2-2. Freshman Diego Lazaro (Laval, Canada/Horizon-Jeunesse), who tallied a goal in Monday's Pool B opener, was on the receiving end of a pass from Mulero. Lazaro was able to beat the Tyler keeper on a low-lying shot for the equalizer.
The two sides, both ranked inside the top-four in the nation in final NJCAA rankings, battled back-and-forth until the Warriors prevailed in the 82nd minute. Sophomore Lucas Bauer (Oldenburg, Germany/IGS Kreyenbruck) delivered a cross from the far right side of the pitch that found the foot of Truel between two Tyler defenders and the keeper. Truel's first touch beat the trio of Apaches for the game-winning strike.
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— NJCAA Network (@NJCAANetwork) November 19, 2024
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Indian Hills outshot the Apaches 17-10 in the contest, including a 10-6 advantage in the second half. Tyler keeper Joe Pollard had allowed just two goals in nine total matches this year prior to Tuesday's affair with the Warriors.
Freshman keeper Jacopo Trolese (Milan, Italy/Salesiani Sesto), making just his second-career start, secured his second win in as many days after stopping two shots.
Mulero wrapped up Pool Play action with two goals and two assists for a total of six points.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to long-time conference foe Iowa Western who advanced out of Pool A, going 2-0-0, including an overtime win on Tuesday afternoon. The Warriors and Reivers have met three times this year.
FOLLOW LIVE
All matches at the national championship will air live via the NJCAA Network with single-game and tournament-pass purchases required. GoHillsTV, the official streaming platform of Indian Hills Community College will be on-site to provide a in-game updates and highlights: GoHillsTV Facebook
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