The RedTails were rough, tough and made the Tigers up their own physical play in order to keep up.

As a result, the seventh-ranked Tigers found themselves down to 10 men in overtime and fell 2-1 to the RedTails thanks to a goal in the second overtime from Gonzalo Ramos. The Tigers are now 2-1 on the season.

Marshalltown opened the game with the stronger start, but neither side was able to craft clear opportunities in the first 15 minutes of action. Most of MCC’s best chances came from free kicks and corners, as set plays played a big role throughout the afternoon.

First-year head coach Raphael Nascimento said he thought the team did a good job in the first half of adjusting to the team’s physicality.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING - Marshalltown Community College freshman Rene Hernandez sends a pass across the box during Saturday’s soccer match against Hawkeye CC.

“The main aspect for them was to be physical,” Nascimento said. “We wanted to explore that, win fouls and get PKs if we had to. They were not going to avoid contact, so just be smart about it.”

Thirty minutes into the game, MCC struck first blood. Midfielder Yushi Nagao was bundled over in the penalty box, and after getting up off the grass he stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty into the bottom-left corner of the goal. The Tigers held the lead heading into the half.

In the second half, the wind worked against MCC, but so did the run of play. After applying pressure in the first 15 minutes of the second half, Hawkeye took advantage of a free kick from a difficult angle to score a goal courtesy of left back Jayce Berger’s left foot.

The loss of their lead and the increasing physicality of the game started to catch up with MCC, especially after missed chances midway through the second half that could have given the Tigers a crucial advantage.

Nascimento said he felt the referee lost control of the game as the second half went on.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

“From my perspective, he kind of lost the game there,” Nascimento said. “Some of the calls he was making, like he wasn’t making calls for us as well. But like I said, we have to keep working.”

The Tigers picked up three yellow cards in the second half: one for center back Bryan Plata midway through the second half and then two for right back Hiroki Tsuda. The second yellow came in the 85th minute and resulted in the defender getting sent off — leaving the Tigers with 10 men for the rest of regulation and both overtime periods.

Fighting hard down a man, the Tigers still had opportunities to win the game in the first overtime period but no goal came. Three minutes into the second half, a through ball from Hawkeye center back Conal Burnett found Ramos, and the midfielder broke through the defense to find the back of the net and deliver the game-ending blow to the Tigers.

MCC plays at home Tuesday at 1 p.m.