Men's soccer: Morley-Robertson lifts IHCC to regional title

DES MOINES — Sophomore Leo Morley-Robertson tallied a pair of goals to lead the 16th-ranked Indian Hills men’s soccer squad to a signature victory in the regular season finale over Iowa Western on Friday. With the win, the Warriors punch their ticket to the postseason.

The victory over the Reivers gives Indian Hills the outright regular season Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) title as the Warriors advance to the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Midwest District Tournament. Indian Hills took the regular season series from the Reivers, 2-1-0, to secure a spot in the upcoming district tournament.

The regular season title is the third in program history, joining the 2017 and 2023 programs.

With its season potentially on the line, the Warriors called upon Morley-Robertson to provide the heroics. The sophomore provided an electrifying strike in the first half to put the Warriors on the board with less than 14 minutes to play in the opening half.

Iowa Western eventually responded late in the second half in the 76th minute to even the match at 1-1. Needing a victory to advance past the Reivers due to tiebreaker criteria, the Warriors were down to their final minutes of the regular season before Morley-Robertson delivered yet again.

The Warriors were awarded a penalty kick with less than seven minutes remaining in the match and Morley-Robertson stepped to the spot for the potential go-ahead goal. A low-lying shot to the far corner beat the Iowa Western keeper and the Warriors took a commanding lead.

The Indian Hills defense prevailed down the stretch as the Warriors earned a trip to the postseason for the fifth consecutive season.

Freshman keeper Sean Suzuki stopped five shots in net for the Warrior defense to earn the result.

With the victory, the Warriors will now compete in the upcoming NJCAA Division Men’s Soccer Midwest District Tournament for a chance to move on to the upcoming NJCAA Division I National Tournament. The Warriors will compete in the four-team single-elimination tournament Nov. 5-7 in Illinois at Lewis & Clark.