Ottumwa, IA – Indian Hills Men's Soccer head coach Felix Vu has been named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer Region 11 Coach of the Year, announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) on Wednesday.
Vu becomes just the second head coach in school history to garner NJCAA Region 11 Coach of the Year honors, joining former coach Jon Fridal following the 2017 season. In the eight years the Region 11 Coach of the Year honor has been awarded, Vu becomes just the second first-year head coach to collect the honor.
In a historic first season in Ottumwa, Vu guided the Warriors to the ICCAC regular season championship and the NJCAA DI Men's Soccer Midwest District championship, the first in school history for the Warriors. Indian Hills, ranked No. 9 in the nation in the final regular season NJCAA poll, owns a 9-2-4 overall record on the year while going undefeated in league play.
The Warriors lost just one match during the team's final 10 contests, a stretch that saw six shutouts. Indian Hills cruised through the District tournament, outscoring its two opponents 7-0 to secure an automatic bid to the upcoming national tournament, just the second appearance in school history for the Warriors.
Vu led seven individuals to collect postseason honors, also announced by the ICCAC on Wednesday.
READ MORE: SEVEN LAND ON ALL-REGION MEN'S SOCCER SQUAD
After joining the national rankings in the first poll of the season, the Warriors remained in the top-20 national for the duration of the season. Indian Hills scored key wins over nationally ranked opponents in Jefferson College (MO) and two vs. league foe Iowa Western Community College. On the year, the Warriors posted a 4-2-2 record against teams that appeared in the national rankings throughout the year.
Indian Hills currently owns a 0.87 goals against average on the year, the lowest mark in school history and currently ranks 12th in the nation. As a team, the Warriors have allowed just 13 goals on the year, the sixth-lowest mark among NJCAA programs this year.
Vu and the Warriors will now turn their attention to the upcoming NJCAA National Tournament in Wichita, KS. Indian Hills opens up play as the No. 10 seed and will take on third-seeded Salt Lake Community College (UT) at 3:00 PM on November 12 at the Stryker Sports Complex. The Warriors will wrap up pool play at 3:00 PM on November 13 against No. 6 seed Barton Community College (KS) with the top team advancing to the semifinal round on November 16.
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