Daytona Beach, FL – For the third consecutive season, the Indian Hills Men's Soccer squad is set to take part in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer National Championship. The Warriors open up Pool Play Monday morning in Daytona Beach.

DETAILS: NJCAA DI Men's Soccer National Championship

November 16-22

Daytona Beach, FL  |  Daytona State College

NJCAA DI MEN'S SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

The Indian Hills Men's Soccer squad secured a spot in the NJCAA DI Men's Soccer National Championship for the third consecutive season and earned a spot in Pool A with top-seeded Tyler Junior College (TX) and 12th seeded Montgomery College (MD).

HOW WE GOT HERE

The Warriors earned a spot in the national tournament with an at-large bid for the second consecutive season, earning the No. 8 overall seed and a bid to Pool A.

• Indian Hills posted a 9-5-4 overall record and finished as runners-up in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) and the NJCAA Central District Championship.
• With one of the toughest schedules in the nation, the Warriors were battled tested throughout the year, playing 13 ranked or receiving votes opponents in 18 matches on the year.
• The Warriors have allowed more than two goals in a game just twice on the year and have played in nine matches decided by one goal or fewer on the year.
• Indian Hills has played seven matches against national tournament teams this year - four against No. 2 seed Iowa Western, and one each vs. No. 3 Cowley College (KS), No. 5 Barton Community College (KS), and No. 11 Otero Junior College (CO).
• The Warriors have pitched four shutouts on the year.

PITCH NOTES

• Indian Hills is set to compete in the state of Florida for the first time in program history.
• The Warrios are 4-2-2 all-time at the national tournament with trips in 2017, 2023, 2024, and now 2025.
• The Warriors will be competing as the No. 8 seed in the national tournament for the first time. The Warriors have previously competed as the No. 5 (2017), No. 9 (2023), and No. 7 (2024).
• In eight all-time matches at the national tournament, the Warriors have outscored their opponents 11-8.
• Indian Hills returns five members from last year's squad that gained national tournament experience.

WARRIORS TO WATCH

Indian Hills has relied on a stellar sophomore class paired with a talented group of newcomers throughout the year to advance to the national tournament.

• Six members of the Warriors were recently named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team
  • Read More: Six Named to All-Region Squad
• Freshman Enzo de Almeida leads the offense with a team-high eight goals this season.
• Sophomore Diego Lazaro has tallied 15 points on the year with five goals and five assists and now ranks in the top-10 in school history in four offensive categories.
• Sophomores Vittorio Bellesi and Kira Fukuda, who have combined to start 63 matches over the past two seasons, anchor a stingy Indian Hills defense.
• Freshman keeper Matteo Malaguti has starred in net for the Warriors, making 14 starts with a 1.05 goals against average.

SCOUTING THE RAPTORS

Montgomery enters the national tournament as the No. 12 overall seed with a 15-5-1 overall record.

• The Raptors spent the first five weeks of the year in the national rankings, climbing as high as No. 11 after checking in at No. 14 in the preseason rankings.
• Montgomery most recently advanced to the national tournament in 2022, its first trip since 1990. 2025 marks the Raptors' sixth all-time trip to the tournament.
• Indian Hills and Montgomery will be squaring off for the first time in program history.
• Oscar Alvardo-Celis leads the Rator offense with a team-high 40 points and 19 goals. Both totals rank second in the nation this year.
• Six different players have scored at least five goals this season.
• Avery Langford and Xavier Fernandez-Mendia have split time in net for the Raptors this year, working towards a 0.73 goals against average.
• The Raptors lead the NJCAA in games played (22) and goals scored (82) this year.
• The Raptors have matched up with just one common opponent with the Warriors this year, a 1-0 victory at Miami Dade College (FL) on October 25.
• Montgomery earned an opening round upset over No. 1 seeded Tyler Sunday morning, a 2-0 victory for the Raptors.

SCOUTING THE APACHES

The top overall seed and No. 1 nationally ranked squad in the nation, Tyler is set to make its 21st all-time trip to the national tournament, tied for second-most in NJCAA history.

• Tyler enters the national tournament with a 16-0-1 overall record and claimed the NJCAA DI Gulf South District Championship.
• The Apaches spent the duration of the year in the top-10 of the national rankings, including the final two weeks of the season at No. 1.
• The Apaches have won six national titles, all since 2009, and most recently finished as national runners-up in 2023.
• Sophomores Elias Taj and Knox Hicks lead the Apaches with 24 points apiece on the year as seven different individuals have tallied at least 10 points this season.
• Tyler will be playing its first two opponents outside of the state of Texas/NJCAA Region 14 this season in Montgomery and Indian Hills.
• The Apaches led the NJCAA in shutouts on the year with 14.
• Indian Hills and Tyler have met just twice before - both in the national touranments.
  • 2017: (4) Tyler 2, (5) Indian Hills 1 (Final/2OT)
  • 2024: (7) Indian Hills 3, (2) Tyler 2 (Final)

WHAT'S AT STAKE

A berth in the national championship semifinal round is on the line as the winner of Pool A advances to the final four. The Warriors will look to secure a spot in the semifinals for just the second time in school history after advancing to the program's first-ever semifinal round in 2024.

GOHILLSTV ON SITE

Be sure to follow all the action live via GoHillsTV, the official streaming platform of Indian Hills Athletics. GoHillsTV will provide an audio-only broadcast, free of charge, along with additional in-game highlights and postmatch interviews.

NEW YEAR - WHAT TO KNOW

Fans can keep up the Indian Hills Men's Soccer squad all year long through a number of ways:

• X (formerly Twitter): @IHCCAthletics  |  @IHCCMsoc
• Facebook: Indian Hills Athletics  |  Indian Hills Men's Soccer
• Instagram: @IHCCMSOC |  @IHCCAthletics
• Youtube: Indian Hills Athletics
• Website: www.indianhillsathletics.com
• Catch up with the history of Indian Hills Men's Soccer: Indian Hills Men's Soccer Record Book  |  Indian Hills Men's Soccer All-Time Awards
• Keep up with former Indian Hills Men's Soccer standouts and where they are now | Next Level Warriors - Indian Hills Men's Soccer
• All home games are played at IHCC Soccer Comlpex on the Indian Hills Ottumwa campus
  • Admission to all home matches is free of charge

HOW TO WATCH

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills home men's soccer games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

• GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
• Website: https://www.iowamedianetwork.com/gohillstv to catch all live and archived information
• Roku Streaming Device (new):  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

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