Men's Soccer preps for program's first playoff run

The Western Iowa Tech men's soccer team will forever have the distinction of playing the first NJCAA playoff game in Comets history.

And it's a home game, to boot.

Head coach Alex Scheuler said Saturday's match is the result of the work put in by a team determined from the beginning to elevate the program.

"It means a lot to host a playoff game in year two," Scheuler said. "This was our goal from August 1, finishing in this spot or higher in the conference."

The Comets, who finished fourth in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, will host Dakota County Technical College at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Ruegger Field. It will be a rematch of a Sept. 11 game in Rosemount, Minnesota, the Comets won 6-1. Jake Watt and Tyler Witter each scored two goals as the Comets came back from an early 0-1 deficit.

That five-goal win aside, Scheuler said their non-confernece results were not always pretty, but nevertheless prepared the Comets for greater things. Narrow losses to NJCAA D2's No. 1 Iowa Lakes, No. 3 Northeast and NJCAA D1's No. 6 Iowa Western "have given the boys the belief they can compete on the big stages moving forward.

"(Saying I'm) proud of everything this group has worked through, on and off the field, is an understatement, as it's made the program better, and them better as individuals."

WIT's offense is led by sophomores Aran Hernandez Vivar (eight goals, five assists, 21 points) and Ben Shields (seven goals, one assist, 15 points. Sophomore Matias Garcia Castilla (two, seven, 11), freshman Riquelme Valdovinos (three, five, 11) and sophomore Julian Mena (four, four, two) have also been major contributors.

The Comets are 9-6-3 overall and 5-2-1 in the ICCAC.

The Blue Knights are the only NJCAA Division II team in Region 13, and are 6-7-2 overall and 4-0-1 in October.

Though the Comets have already accomplished a lot in their sophomore campaign, they understand the opportunity ahead of them and are treating the postseason and their opponents with appropriate respect.

"The new season begins Saturday for all teams," Scheuler said. "Everyone is 0-0, so we have to focus on all of the little details that make a big difference."