Reivers Blow Past Hawks In Season Opener

Council Bluffs, IA: NJCAA DI #6 Iowa Western CC defeated NJCAA DII #12 CC 3-0 in the 2021 Season Opener.

How It Happened: The wind played a role as both teams needed to adjust to the match conditions, however, the Reivers were the most dangerous team from the start. The Reivers dominated possesion in the early going, but failed to produce any chances on target. The breakthrough came as freshman midefielder Anna Hall was played in behind the backline by sophomore captain Laura Linares. The Utah native took two touches and slipped it past the onrushing Northeast goalkeeper for what would prove to be the match winner.

The Reivers continued to apply pressure in search of an insurance goal and found their reward when Linares was brought down in the penalty area after some clever interplay ny the Reiver attack. Freshman midfielder Yoshiki Kitadai dispatched the ensuing penalty kick to double the Reiver lead. 

After the break, Iowa Western maintained control of the match by dictating they rhythm and tempo. The Hawks were able to create a few half chances, but the Reiver backline were able to shutdown Northeast's dangerous counter-attacks led by freshmen centerbacks Mayu Inokawa & Barbara Russo. Kitadai would put the game out of reach with her second PK of the match in the 74th minute after Hall was brought down in the box on her way to goal. The match would end 3-0 & sophomore goalkeeper Judit Goliveras earned her first clean sheet of the 2021 Season.

Notes & Numbers: Iowa Western improves to 1-0-0. The Reivers win their first Home Opener since 2016. 

Quotes: Coach Adam Sanchez: "We've been waiting a long time for this and the players were excited to get back to competing. Northeast CC is always difficult to break down defensively and they can be very, very dangerous on the counter. However, our players did a great job of being mindful of their threats and worked hard to prevent any danger in transition. I thought our backs were always in great positions to make plays and our midfield pressed really well as a group. It was a great first step in what should be an exciting year for us."

Up Next: The Reivers look to refuel quickly as they travel to Bettendorf, IA to take on Scott CC. The match can be viewed live at http://goreivers.com/information/reiver-sports-network. Match updates can be found on Twitter at @ReiverWSoccer & @GoReivers.