Despite the desperation from the Reivers, it was the Tigers who would score a goal late in the match, as freshman striker Sekou Kromah took a header from Gerald Diaz in the box and connected on a one-timer that soared past the outstretched arms of Iowa Western goalkeeper Daniel Bermingham, giving MCC a 2-0 lead with less than 12 minute remaining.

That goal broke the spirits of the Reivers and elated the Tigers, and when the final buzzer sounded Marshalltown walked off with a 2-0 victory and a trip back to the Region XI finals.

MCC head coach Rafael Martinez said he had a decision to make earlier on to put Kromah back in the lineup or not, after Kromah had to come out of the game in the first half, and he was glad he decided to make the substitute.

“It was huge for us, we knew Sekou could come in to that striker position and manage to create something for himself basically,” Martinez said. “He’s very smart at finding spaces, when I brought him in I told him, ‘go there, we need you to get another one of those goals, fight between the center-backs and find that pocket and that space,’ and certainly that’s what he did and obviously he had an amazing execution for a perfectly timed goal. We needed that as air and he gave us air.”

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

Kromah said when he first came back into the game he knew he had to make an impact, and when he saw the ball hovering in front of him he knew that was his chance.

“What was going through my mind was the confidence that coach Rafa installed in me before I came onto the pitch, telling me that I should keep going and keep pushing forward because we needed a break,” Kromah said. “When I saw the ball coming and I saw it in the air I just connected sweetly with it and the keeper got a hand on it but it had too much power and it went in.”

As soon as Kromah saw the ball hit the back of the net he went screaming down the sideline to his teammates, who all greeted him with enthusiastic vigor.

“I was just over the moon excited celebrating with the team,” Kromah said, still beaming from ear to ear. “I was very, very happy.”

The Tigers (16-1) technically didn’t need that goal because of their ability to shut out the Reivers (9-6-1) for a second time this season. In fact it was a Pedro Silva goal in the 41st minute that would provide the winning score.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

Silva scored off an assist on a free kick by Leonardo Tomasi from about 10 yards out of the box on the right side of the field, giving MCC a rare goal from a set piece.

“We’ve challenged them to create more danger and get more goals in set pieces because it’s true that it’s not one of our strengths,” Martinez said. “We need to bring something different to each game, especially now at the end because everyone knows each other so much better and the games are so much tighter and even that you need an edge, and sometimes the edge is a set piece or a counter attack or fighting for a second ball in the box, like the second goal. That little extra is what makes the difference in these big games that are so tight, I am glad we took advantage of that and we stopped them from creating those dangerous situations.”

The Tigers outshot the Reivers 11-5, with most of Western’s shots coming in about a 10 minute spurt before Kromah’s goal. Like it has all year, Marshalltown dominated in time of possession, which Martinez said leads to less risk on defense and more opportunities at the net.

“The ball was in the middle of the field most of the time and we thought that was going to happen. We felt that we were probably going to have more possession than them, they were probably going to be compact defensively and try to avoid transition and we prepared for that,” Martinez said. “I thought they did very well, I thought that my guys read the game really well and did what they needed to do in each phase of the game. Defensively obviously we tried to be very strong and tense and compact, and then offensively we tried to move the ball quickly and into spaces where we could create opportunities to attack the open space.”

Having so much time of possession naturally leads to a more offensive approach, and Kromah said playing with such a talented group of midfielders sets him up for a lot of success.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

“It’s a great feeling having creative players in the midfield like Gerald and [Rafael Vacas] and Matheus [Peveira] and Gustavo [Leal], everyone on our team can play and are technical on the ball,” Kromah said. “As a striker I love it because I just have to make a run and they will find me, it makes my job easier trying to score goals.”

There was a great crowd on hand to take in the MCC win, easily the most fans who had attended a game all season, and Martinez said they truly helped the Tiger on to victory.

“I think the players felt that support, especially in the moments that were more difficult and challenging,” Martinez said. “We knew we would go through our ups and downs, and the support we received today helped us get through. We hope they come back on Saturday and try to make this the best event possible.”

If the Tigers want to win the NJCAA Region XI tournament and earn a spot in the Great Lakes District Championship, they will have to defeat yet another talented team.

No. 8 Iowa Lakes won the other semifinal with a 2-0 victory over Indian Hills, which means the Region XI final comes down to the top two seeds. The MCC defeated the Lakers in a 2-1 decision in their only meeting this year, but Martinez said his guys have to continue improving to get past Iowa Lakes again when they meet on Saturday at 2 p.m.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

“We are going to try to focus on ourselves, we know that we are going to play against a good team just like we did today,” he said. “The only thing we can control is ourselves, try to be the best that we can be and continue improving until that day. Try to get ourselves healthy and get ready to go and obviously try to bring out style to the field. If we fight as we are, if we try to be true to ourselves, if we do our part I think we will have a better chance of winning.”

Kromah said if there’s another great fan turnout like there was on Tuesday afternoon, the Tigers have a great shot at moving on.

“I am very excited, I am over the moon and I can’t wait,” he said. “I can’t wait for the fans to come out again, I thank them for coming out today, it was a great experience today so I can’t wait to keep going.”

NJCAA Region XI Tournament

First Round

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

Saturday, Oct. 20

Iowa Western 1, Iowa Central 0

Indian Hills 2, NIACC 1

Semifinals

Tuesday, Oct. 23

Marshalltown CC 2, Iowa Western 0

Iowa Lakes 2, Indian Hills 0

Championship

Saturday, Oct. 27

No. 2 Iowa Lakes (15-2-1) at No. 1 Marshalltown CC (16-1-0), 2 p.m.

——

Marshalltown CC 2, Iowa Western CC 0

At Marshalltown

IW 0 0 — 0

MCC 1 1 — 2

First Half

MCC — Pedro Silva (Leonardo Tomasi), 40:21.

Second Half

MCC — Sekou Kromah (Gerald Diaz), 77:48.

Goalkeepers — IW: Daniel Bermingham (5 shots on goal, 3 saves); MCC: Joel Serrano (1-1).

Shots — IW 5, MCC 11.

Shots on goal — IW 1, MCC 11.

Fouls — IW 24, MCC 22.

Corner kicks — IW 1, MCC 1.

Yellow cards — Rafael Ramos, MCC, 1:39; Jiroh Hatano, MCC, 40:43; Jaaziel Thompson, IW, 42:32; Sekou Kromah, MCC, 79:32; Leonardo Tomasi, MCC, 81:07; Mauricio Dos Santos, IW, 85:51.

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