RedTails Men’s Soccer edges Dakota County Tech in 2–1 thriller
The Hawkeye RedTail Men's Soccer team protected its home field on Saturday September 6th, grinding out a 2–1 win over Dakota County Technical College.
Hawkeye controlled much of the first half, creating pressure with several early shots on goal. The breakthrough came in the 10th minute when freshman forward Kaspar Szikszai finished a cross from George Mills to give the RedTails a 1–0 lead. Moments later, goalkeeper Roberto Romanelli came up with a crucial save in the 11th minute to keep the advantage intact.
The RedTails carried their lead into halftime after dominating possession and tempo.
Dakota County Technical equalized midway through the second half, capitalizing on a chance in the 60th minute to make it 1–1. Just minutes later, Hawkeye's defense was tested again when DCTC earned a penalty, but Romanelli delivered a clutch stop to keep the match level.
With under eight minutes remaining, the RedTails found the winner. Sophomore forward Marco Petrarca buried a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, sealing the 2–1 victory.
Romanelli finished with four saves in goal.
Head coach Jorge Sierra Galeas praised his team's resilience:
"Once again the boys proved that we can grind for the win through games," Sierra Galeas said. "They showed a lot of heart and drive for that win. We need to take it to the next level now for this upcoming week."
The RedTails improve to 3-1 on the season and will look to carry momentum into their next match this Wednesday, September 10, when they travel to face Iowa Western Community College at 6:00 p.m. in Council Bluffs.
