COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA: The Reivers shutout the Warriors 2-0 to climb back into the ICCAC title race.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Playing in their first night game of the season, #8 Iowa Western downed previously unbeaten #5 Indian Hills with a goal on either side of half time. With each team creating similar number of chances, it was the Reivers that made their chances count in the 42nd minute with sophomore Paula Boza slipping in Ella Pelletier behind the Warrior backline for a 1 on 1 with the keeper. The Omaha native slotted the ball near post to give the home team a 1-0 advantage going into intermission.
Facing the country's highest scoring offense and 3 Warriors in the top 10 in scoring, the Reiver defense played even better in the second half limiting the Warrior attack to just one shot on goal, which came in the dying moments. The midfield dominated the tempo of the match for much of the second half and created twice as many chances than the first half. Sophomore Ririka Kamimura would get the insurance goal in the 72 minute off a counter-attack started by Anna Hall. Hall intercepted a long clearance 35 yards out from the Warrior goal and found Kamimura on a run inside the box. The Japanese forward took a look at goal and blasted home far post on her first touch.
NOTES & NUMBERS: The Reivers shutout an Indian Hills team that was averaging an NJCAA-best of over 6 goals per game. It was Iowa Western's 7th shutout of the season. The Reivers improve to 3-1 in ICCAC play and 11-1 overall. Playing at Lewis Central, Iowa Western extends its unbeaten streak at Titan Stadium having not lost at its alternate home location since August of 2018 to #1 Tyler Junior College 1-0. The Reivers remain in second place in the ICCAC standings with 2 games to play. Boza picked up her team-leading 9th assist of the season. Hall's 6th assist of the season surpasses her freshman assist total from this past Spring.
QUOTES: Head Coach Adam Sanchez: "The team was absolutely fantastic tonight. They were focused, engaged, and executed superbly. It was a top, top performance from the group and we caught a glimpse of what this team is capable of. The proof is in the numbers and the contrast from when we played IH at their place. The match a few weeks ago was wide open and neither team had control of that match as shots were 19-17 on the day. Tonight, we may not have had as much possession as we would have liked, but we controlled much more of the match limiting them to just 4 shots and creating 11 of our own. That shows the quality we have in our side in every line, severly limiting the best offense in the NJCAA right now. They were dangerous in moments, but I felt we were efficient with our chances and a 2-0 result was very fair with the effort the group gave and the quality the left on the match."
UP NEXT: The Reivers travel to Iowa Lakes for Saturday's penultimate conference match. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 pm. Match updates can be found on Twitter at @ReiverWSoccer.