Golden Goal Gives Iowa Western the National Championship

WICHITA, Kan. - Iowa Western claimed their second national championship in the last two years on a golden goal just a minute and thirty-five seconds into overtime off the right foot of Sophomore Forward Nicole Navarro Aguilar.

At the start of the overtime period, Defender Nanami Hata gained possession of the ball in the midfield and fed Navarro outside the 18-yard box.  Navarro fought through a pair of Titan defenders, got the ball to her right side, and buried a rocket to the top corner for the game-winner.

The win marked the second consecutive national championship for the Reivers and third overall.  Iowa Western finished the season with a perfect 18-0-0 record and has run its winning streak to a school-record 36 victories in a row.

Iowa Western outscored its opponents 11-0 over four games, with Goalkeeper Bella Washington earning all four victories en route to being named the Defensive MVP of the tournament.  Navarro was named the tournament's MVP with two game-winning goals; Forward Oruha Hayashi earned the Offensive MVP award, posting four goals and two assists throughout the week.

SEASON NOTES

• Iowa Western outscored their opponents 88-5, averaging just shy of five goals per game.
• The team's 108 assists is 2nd most in a season in program history and it is only the 2nd time eclipsing 100 assists (140 in 2022).
• Iowa Western is the first team to go undefeated and untied in a season since Tyler JC went 20-0-0 in the 2020-21 Spring season.
• The Reivers ran through the national tournament without giving up a goal in four contests.  They're the 5th team since 2001 to win the national championship without giving up a score. Monroe CC in 2001, Young Harris in 2006, CCBC-Catonsville in 2007, and Paradise Valley in 2010 also did this but played in just three games.
• Iowa Western's 11 goals in the tournament are the most by a team at nationals since the 2020-21 Spring tournament when Tyler JC scored 13 in four games.
• Head Coach Adam Sanchez's career record now moves to 195-63-13, good for 12th all-time among active coaches.
• Sanchez has the most wins in Iowa Western history (138-26-7)
• Women's Soccer is now the third team at Iowa Western to win back-to-back national championships, joining volleyball (2020-21 Spring & 2021 Fall) and Indoor Track and Field (2021-2022).  They're also the fifth program to win three championships joining volleyball (2006, 2020-21, 2021), baseball (2010, 2012, 2014), track and field (2021 & 2022 indoor, 2022 outdoor), and cheerleading (2016 UCA Worlds, 2022 UCA Worlds, and 2022 National Champions).