Ottumwa, IA – The No. 2 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Soccer squad is set to kick-off the 2025 campaign with the highly-anticipated IHCC Classic on the Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa campus. The Warriors open up the two-day, three-game event Thursday afternoon.

DETAILS: 2025 IHCC Classic

Thursday, August 21 – Saturday, August 23

ADMISSION: Free

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: IHCC Classic Home

Ranked No. 2 in the nation in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer Poll, the Indian Hills Men's Soccer squad is set to host three of the premiere teams in the nation to open up the 2025 campaign with the annual IHCC Classic at the Indian Hills Soccer Classic.

OPENING KICK

• Under the direction of second-year head coach Zac Newton, the Warriors return to the pitch for the first time since making a thrilling run to the NJCAA DI Men's Soccer National Championship semifinal round for the first time in school history in 2024.
• The Warriors return seven members of last year's national tournament run, including United Soccer Coaches All-Region First-Team performer Diego Lazaro.
• Along with Lazaro, Kira Fukuda, Jano Scheler, Alessandro Peruz, Fabian Arroyo, Joseph Redmond, and Vittorio Bellesi return to the Warriors with veteran experience.
• This year's roster is comprised of 17 sophomores, including 10 transfers, to go along with 26 incoming freshman.
• Indian Hills posted a 7-0-1 record record on its home surface last season and have gone unbeaten in Ottumwa in its last 19 matches, dating back to the 2022 season.
• The Warriors have won five consecutive matches at the IHCC Classic, dating back to the 2022 season, and have outscored their opponents 16-2 during the stretch.

COACH NEWTON'S NOTES

"I'm excited to have the season starting this week," stated head coach Zac Newton. "We have thrown the guys straight into the fire, and we told them from the start of the season that we wanted to compete against the best in order to prepare for the national tournament against the best. We'll be bringing three very strong teams to Ottumwa this weekend, with obviously the defending national champs Iowa Western, Miami Dade, who's currently in the top-10, and then Otero that's receiving national votes. It'll be an exciting test for our guys, and there is no buffer compared to last season where we started playing competitive games in the middle of September. We're looking to fire away from the start."

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS

Otero heads into the new year receiving votes in the preseason national poll.

• The Rattlers are coming off a 7-3-4 overall reocrd last season after advancing to the NJCAA Region 9 Championship match.
• Otero has posted five consecutive winning seasons and most recently advanced to the national tournament in 2022.
• The Rattlers are under the direction of second-year head coach Alberto Garcia.
• Indian Hills is 1-0-1 all-time vs. Otero, winning 2-0 in Great Bend, KS last season and a 2-2 tie in Great Bend in 2023.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS

In just its second year as a program, Miami Dade enters the new year ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls after a run to the national tournament last season.

• The Sharks posted a 13-5-2 overall record last year while earning an at-large bid to the national tournament in its inaugural campaign.
• Miami Dade returns six of its top seven scorers from a year ago, including Edoardo Duchini and Facundo Ochoa who combined for 64 points (27g, 10a) last season.
• Saturday's matchup with the Sharks will be the first all-time meeting vs. a team from the state of Florida for the Warriors.
• Miami Dade is under the direction of second-year head coach Giuseppe DePalo.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Warriors' competitive gauntlet continues with a matchup against perennial power Barton Community College (KS) in Council Bluffs, IA August 29 at 7:00 PM.

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:

• Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
• GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
• Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse 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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