Iowa Western (Women), Marshalltown (Men) Compete at National Soccer Tournaments
After winning their third consecutive Region XI title, and a win in the District Championship, the Iowa Western women's soccer team advanced out of pool play to the NJCAA Division I Women's National Tournament semifinals.
The Reiver's advanced out of their bracket after a 5-1 over Paradise Valley, and a 3-1 penalty kick win over Navarro to advance to the knockout stage, semifinals.
The third-seeded Reivers faced off against the No. 2 seed Monroe and fell after a hard-fought match. The lone goal scored in the game came unassisted from Monroe's Yolanda Albalat in the 55th minute of the match. Iowa Western had scoring chances in the 18th, 19th, 29th, 52nd, 68th, and 82nd minutes but couldn't connect on any attempts. The Reivers ended the season with a record of 17-3-1, their highest finish in championship play since they reached the final in 2014.
On the men's side, the Marshalltown Tigers men's soccer team advanced to the NJCAA Division I Men's National Tournament after dramatic finishes in the regional and district championships.
The Tigers advanced to pool play but were unable got out of their three-team group. In game one, they defeated Cowley County by a score of 2-0 with both goals coming from Kazuki Kimura. But in their second game, essentially a quarterfinal matchup, Marshalltown's season ended with a 0-0 loss via penalty kicks against Eastern Florida State.
The Tigers had scoring chances at multiple junctures of the game but couldn't connect with a goal during regulation and the two overtimes. The Tigers finished their season with a record of 18-1-2, which ties them for first all-time in win percentage with the 2015 team.