Wichita, KS – A pair of second half goals secured three points in Pool B for the No. 4 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Soccer team on Monday as the Warriors earned a 2-0 win over Western Nebraska Community College at the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer Tournament.
The Warriors, the No. 7 seed in the national tournament, sit atop the group stage standings in Pool B alongside second-seeded Tyler Junior College (TX) at 1-0-0 heading into the final day of pool play action. Indian Hills and Tyler are set to square off at 12:30 PM CST Tuesday afternoon to determine the Pool B winner.
Sophomore Daniel Mulero (Asturias, Spain/Salesianos Santo Angel Aviles) sparked the Warriors in the second half with an electrifying goal from 30-yards out. One of the top scorers in the nation, Mulero added an assist less than five minutes later on a goal to Diego Lazaro (Laval, Canada/Horizon-Jeunesse) to cap the scoring for the Warriors.
Who else but Daniel Mulero ?
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) November 18, 2024
Mulero's strike from distance puts @ihccmsoc ahead in the Warriors' @NJCAA_Soccer tournament opener in Wichita!#WeAreWarriors #WarriorNationpic.twitter.com/osq5UnxXim
Freshman goalkeeper Jacopo Trolese (Milan, Italy/Salesiani Sesto), making his first-career start in net for the Warriors, secured the win for the Warriors. Trolese stopped four shots on the day.
As a team, the Warriors outshot the Cougars 15-8 on the day, including a 9-5 advantage in the second half. The Warriors earned seven corner kicks to just three for Western Nebraska.
Taking on Western Nebraska for the second time this season following a 6-0 Indian Hills win in August, the two squads squared off on a blustery and drizzly day at the Stryker Sports Complex. The Warriors, battling against the wind in the opening half, put together multiple scoring chances in the first 45 minutes but to no avail as the two sides went into intermission deadlocked at zero.
The Warriors took advantage of the directional shift of the wind to start the second half as Mulero put the Warriors on the board just 1:33 into the frame. The sophomore corralled a loose ball and fired a shot from distance that beat the outstretched arms of the Western Nebraska keeper for the initial lead.
Less than five minutes later, Lucas Bauer (Oldenburg, Germany/IGS Kreyenbruck) and Mulero teamed up to connect with Lazaro in the box. The freshman fired his first touch from close-range into the back of the net for the 2-0 lead. The Warriors fended off the elements the rest of the way to secure its third all-time victory at the national tournament.
With his three points on the afternoon, Mulero now ranks third in the nation this year with 45 points while his 17 assists also rank third. Mulero's 17th assist of the year sets a new single season school record for the Warriors.
Indian Hills and Tyler are now set to meet in the national tournament for the second time after the Apaches defeated the Warriors 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller in 2017. A win for Indian Hills will push the Warriors through to the semifinals for the first time in program history.
FOLLOW LIVE
All matches at the national championship will air live via the NJCAA Network with single-game and tournament-pass purchases required. GoHillsTV, the official streaming platform of Indian Hills Community College will be on-site to provide a in-game updates and highlights: GoHillsTV Facebook
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