Iowa Lakes Captures Region XI Championship with 2–0 Win Over Northeast

SPENCER, Iowa – The Iowa Lakes women's soccer team continued its historic postseason run on Saturday, defeating Northeast Community College 2–0 to claim the 2025 NJCAA Region XI Championship. The victory secures Iowa Lakes a place in next weekend's North Plains District Championship, which the Lakers will host in Spencer against the #1-ranked Johnson County Community College Cavaliers (20–0).

After a tense first half where neither side broke through, the Lakers took control early in the second. In the 53rd minute, Chanell Makusu opened the scoring after receiving a perfectly weighted ball from Zoe Lawrence. Makusu drove into the heart of the defense and unleashed a worm burner past the keeper's right side, igniting the home crowd and giving Iowa Lakes the 1–0 lead.

The Lakers doubled their advantage in the 61st minute, once again showcasing their precision on set pieces. From a corner kick, Stina Mathews played the ball into the near post, where Ines Balaghni cleverly flicked it with her right foot toward the top of the penalty area. There, Amelie Prie took a deft first touch to settle the ball and then, on her second touch, slammed it into the net, sending the Lakers bench and fans into celebration.

From there, Iowa Lakes controlled the tempo, maintaining possession and limiting Northeast's opportunities. Goalkeeper Holly Poole earned her 11th clean sheet of the season — and her third in a row — making three key saves to preserve the win and the championship.

The match was played in cool, crisp fall conditions before an energetic Spencer crowd, with students, families, and community members turning out to cheer the Lakers in their final home appearance before the district final.

Head Coach Mukwa Ogitchida reflected on the magnitude of the accomplishment and what lies ahead:

"To complete the double — both the ICCAC league title and now the Region XI Championship — is very special for Iowa Lakes Community College. This team has come a long way since August 1st. Even though we talked about this, it has taken lots of growth, belief, and trust to get here. Now, tomorrow we will cheer on the men's team as they also try to win the Region XI Championship, and then we will start to prepare for what is essentially our national championship next week."

With the victory, Iowa Lakes improves to 12–4–1 overall and adds the Region XI title to its ICCAC Championshipfrom last week. The Lakers will now host the North Plains District Championship next weekend in Spencer, facing off against #1 Johnson County Community College (20–0) for a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.