No sooner had the overtime period between Jefferson College and Iowa Lakes Community College started, it finished in the flick of a head.
The men’s soccer game at Hillsboro on Saturday was the opener for the Vikings, and they took the Lakers, who were ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA preseason poll, to an extra period. Fewer than 2:00 after the start of OT, Jefferson freshman forward Bryce Sancegrow got his head on a pass from sophomore Charlie Chechlacz and put past the Iowa Lakes goalkeeper as the Vikings won 2-1.
“Everybody was tired and they were down a player,” said Sancegraw, who graduated from Farmington and was an all-state performer for the Knights. “We had the momentum after we scored on the (penalty kick) in the second half. It gave everybody a boost. Charlie hopped on the wing and crossed the ball. I was lucky to get my head on it and put in the far post.”
The Lakers took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute of the game as the Vikings looked sluggish until later in the first half. Jefferson head coach Brocklon Chatman said his team suffered from some early jitters.
“It took us 30 minutes to get into the game,” said Chatman, who began his second year at the helm. “The last 15 minutes of the first half we saw the way we should be and that carried on into the second half. There were some tactical things we needed to tighten up.”
Two Brazilian imports forced the action to the offensive third of the field for the Vikings throughout the second half. Sophomores Pablo Ruiz and Thiago Prates both had chances to score in the final 45 minutes. Ruiz was denied twice within a few yards of the Iowa Lakes goal.
Prates tied the game in the 64th minute on a penalty kick. Chatman called Ruiz and Prates “slippery players.”
“Pablo is very slippery in the final third,” said Chatman, who also coaches the women’s team at Jeffco. “There are some things we need to work on with him, but he’s a guy you want on your team in the offensive third.
“A lot of defenders don’t expect (Prates) to be that good on the ball and work into the spaces he gets into. On the PK, he did just that.”
Sophomore goalie Nolan Moriearty faced four shots, stopping three for the Vikings.
“For his first 90 minutes of college soccer, I was very proud of Nolan,” Chatman said. “He’s been waiting for this opportunity for two years and he gets a win. He was confident between the posts and that’s what we need. He earned his teammates’ trust today as well.”
Sancegraw said once Jefferson found its rhythm, the offense began to flow.
“We moved the ball around and they couldn’t stop us. Hopefully we can do that all season,” Sancegraw said. “Coach (Chatman) recruited us because he thinks we have the talent to get us to nationals and I believe we can do it. That would put us on the map.”
“To come out and get a big win against the No. 11 team in the nation is something to be proud of,” Chatman said.
The Vikings were back on their home field on Sunday against the second team from Iowa in two days. This time Marshalltown Community College took advantage of fouls deep in the Vikings’ end to notch two PKs and won 3-1.
Chechlacz gave Jefferson a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute, but Yushi Nagao scored in the 60th minute and Matheus Pereira scored both penalty kicks five minutes apart for Marshalltown.
Both teams piled up the fouls, with Jefferson being issued six yellow cards and Marshalltown three.
The Vikings (1-1) travel to Overland Park, Kan. for a game against Johnson County Community College on Saturday.