NORFOLK – The Northeast Community College men’s soccer team held #9 Iowa Western to a 3-1 at halftime, but could not come back as the Reiver’s went on to defeat the Hawks Tuesday afternoon here, 9-1.

Iowa Western outshot Northeast 24-1 and also had 20 shots on goal compared to one for the Hawks. Mario Cortez had Northeast’s lone goal while Fernando Lopez and Justin Sullivan contributed defensively with nine and two saves, respectively.

Chad Miller, Northeast coach, said the statistics are difficult to look at because he feels his team plays better than what the numbers indicate.

“We are doing much better at possession than we were at the beginning of the season. Our trouble is when we get the ball and we try to go so fast that sometimes we get a head of ourselves and lose it too soon. We knew this would be the case starting the season because of the players we have and their styles. It is tough to slow down a high paced offense.”

Miller said, “With Iowa Western ranked #9 in the nation, we knew this was going to be a tough match. We felt good about it, though, because we had nothing to lose and we just wanted to go out and play and have some fun. We did that the first half; at one point tying it 1-1, and then having it 3-1 at half. At the end of the first half we gave up a bad goal but I was still pleased with our overall effort. The second half we came out without focus and things got away from us. We still have work to do but I am still happy with what is working. These are great kids, we will keep at it!”

The Hawks will host Central Community College on Thursday at Veterans Memorial Field in Norfolk beginning at 7 p.m.