Des Moines, IA - Iowa Western earned its second straight trip to the NJCAA National Tournament edging Indian Hills in a PK shootout.
How it happened: With the previous three contests between IWCC and IHCC ending in narrow 2-1 victories, the Region XI/District K Championship was always going to be tight. In the 2016 final, the two teams battled deep in to 2OT until All-American Amelia Fullmer provided the finishing touch seconds before the end of extra time. This year, the margin of victory was even narrower.
The Reivers dominated the first half of play and created several quality chances, but failed to find the back of the net. The scored remained 0-0 at halftime. After the break, Indian Hills countered after each pressing movement from the Reivers. Each team had several quality looks, but freshman GK Mandy Clark and her IHCC counterpart Emily Sands made impressive saves to maintain the game knotted at zero.
However, the Reivers would find the back of the net first through a corner kick in the 82nd minute. Freshman forward Laura Chavez found Veronica Herrera open in the box who headed the ball down to the feet of Idaho native Paige Moser who punched it in. The Reivers just needed to control the match for the remaining eight minutes.
The Warriors would find their equalizer in even more dramatic fashion. After relentless pressure, IHCC found their reward just 45 seconds from the end of regulation. Sophomore defender Eda Demiralay pounced on an Iowa Western clearance from 30 yards out, took a touch to avoid a Reiver defender and blasted a full volley just under the crossbar.
Both teams pressed for a winner in both overtimes, each with great opportunities to win the match, but the match was always destined for PKs. Herrera took the first for the Reivers and smashed it into the back of the net. Clark would come up with another huge save on the Warriors first kicker. From there, Kate Reddish, Chavez. Abby Hall, and Daniela Cardona sealed the win by converting their attempts, sealing Iowa Western's 8th trip to the NJCAA National Tournament.
Notes & Numbers: The PK shootout was the first in District K history and the first time in school history that IHCC earned a draw verse their cross state rival. Moser scored her 5th goal of the season, capping off an impressive freshman campaign, in which she earned 15 starts.
Quotes: Coach Adam Sanchez
"I am absolutely delighted for the players. They put a lot in to this match, not just today, but in their preparation throughout the season. They had to deal with a lot of adversity and their persistence was put to the test. Sport in general, especially in soccer, you don't always get rewarded for what you put in, but I knew on the day that the players wouldn't sit back and give in. It was great to see their effort and fight. A lot of teams would have crumbled and given in to Indian Hill's perceived momentum after their spectacular goal, but it was great to see their resilience and defiance shine through in the shootout. They didn't lay down, nor did I expect them to. It was a great display of character and a great parallel to our season. I am super happy for them."
Up next: The Reivers await their seeding for their 8th NJCAA National Tournament Appearance, which begins on Monday, November 13th in Melbourne, Florida. Live video streams can be found at the tournament home page at www.efsctitans.com/webcast or at www.njcaatv.com.
