NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! WARRIORS CAPTURE FIRST TITLE
November 22, 2025
Daytona Beach, FL – For the first time in program history, the Indian Hills Men’s Soccer team captured the coveted National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men’s Soccer National Championship as the Warriors dropped Daytona State College (FL) 1-0 on Saturday.
The eighth-seeded Warriors become the lowest-seeded team in NJCAA history to win the national championship after taking down tournament host and fourth-seeded Daytona State. Indian Hills used a second half goal from sophomore Enzo de Almeida (Foz do Iguacu, Brazil/Colegio Silva Batista), the 2025 NJCAA DI Men’s Soccer Most Valuable Player of the Tournament to knock off the Falcons on their home field.
Indian Hills is now just the second team from the state of Iowa to win an NJCAA DI Men’s Soccer National Championship. Head coach Zac Newton, in just his second season at the helm of the program, becomes the first NJCAA Men’s Soccer Head Coach to win a national title at both the NJCAA DI and NJCAA DII levels. Newton, who was named the 2021 NJCAA DII Men’s Soccer National Coach of the Year, was named the NJCAA DI Men’s Soccer National Coach of the Year following the conclusion of Saturday’s championship match.
The Warriors, who made history in 2024 by advancing to the NJCAA DI Men’s Soccer National Semifinal for the first time in school history, continued to rewrite the record books by claiming the program’s first-ever national title in school history. The Warriors have quickly become one of the premiere junior college programs in the nation, having advanced to three consecutive national tournaments, along with back-to-back national semifinal appearances.
Along with de Almeida’s MVP award, the freshman was named to the NJCAA DI Men’s Soccer All-Tournament Team alongside keeper Matteo Malaguti (Mantova, Italy/Liceo Isabella d’este Mantova) and defenseman Vittorio Bellesi (Breno, Italy/Olivelli Putelli).
Saturday’s match paired two first-time national championship participants between the Warriors and Falcons. The two sides played to a scoreless draw through 45 minutes of action despite multiple scoring opportunities in the opening half for the Warriors.
The Warriors came out of the halftime intermission and struck immediately to put home the eventual game-winning goal. Just 3:32 into the second stanza, Malaguti played a kick from inside the Warrior box deep into Falcon territory. Sophomore Joseph Redmond (Basingstoke, England/Basingstoke) headed the long pass into the Daytona State box that found a streaking de Almeida. The freshman flicked his first touch past two defenders and over the outstretch arms of the Falcon keeper to find the back of the net, his third goal of the tournament.
The Warrior defense, as they have all season long, stood tall over the course of the next 41:28, defeating any opportunity the Falcons presented. Indian Hills allowed just four second half shots with no attempts on net as the Warriors took down Daytona State to raise the trophy.
de Almeida earned MVP honors after a pair of goals in the national semifinal win over Cowley College (KS) before providing the game-winning goal in the national championship. Redmond provided a pair of assists, one each in the semifinal and the national championship to go along with a goal in Pool Play.
Malaguti put together a remarkable performance in net for the Warriors, earning three victories in the national tournament while pitching the complete game shutout in the national championship to earn All-Tournament honors.
Along with Bellesi and Redmond, sophomores Fabian Arroyo (Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica/Liceo San Carlos), Kira Fukuda (Hiroshima, Japan/Setouchi), Diego Lazaro (Laval, Canada/Horizon-Jeunesse), and Alessandro Peruz (Calalzo di Cadore, Italy/Enrico Fermi) leave a lasting impact on the program, becoming the first group to compete in two national semifinal matchups while leading the Warriors to the national championship.
Indian Hills becomes the first team to win a national title 1-0 since 2015, and the first in regulation since 2008. The Warriors are the first team since 2013 to defeat a team that was hosting the national tournament on its home field.
The Warriors, who earned an at-large bid to the national tournament after playing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, capped the season with a 12-6-4 overall record.
