• Rock Valley ties 2015, 2016 and 2018 teams for wins in a season with nine
• Isaias Nieto becomes the fourth player in program history to record three assists in a game
• Leon-Horta has collected at least one point in four consecutive matches

 
ROCKFORD, IL – The Golden secured their eighth-straight playoff appearance Monday versus Illinois Valley, but leaped to the top of the Region IV standings after defeating Milwaukee Wednesday evening.
 
Rock Valley was in full control yesterday, scoring four first-half goals in a 6-1 win over Milwaukee Area Tech late yesterday evening. Freshman Joshua Ceniceros broke open the scoring in the match's 23^rd minute, heading home a corner service from sophomore Isaias Nieto.
 
Three goals in a span of five minutes would pace the Golden Eagles for the remainder of the first half and a four-goal lead at the break. Sophomore Axel Alamo struck on a nicely maneuvered touch and finish a top of the box in the 36^th, then freshman Johnny Leon-Horta would strike again for RVC just two minutes later. Just three minutes later in the 41^st, freshman Jeremy Hernandez would put home a second corner chance to make it 4-0.
 
The night wasn't without its frustrations for head coach Tim Romanello & Co. Despite being in complete control, winning the possession battle 73-27 and completing 348 passes at a clip of 91%, the Golden Eagles struggled in front of net, striking 31 shots, 18 of which were on target, but the men only had six goals to show for their efforts.
 
Frustration would grow as RVC conceded a penalty just after the halftime intermission following a mistimed tackle in the box by an RVC defender. Milwaukee's Ramiro Gonzalez converted from the spot kick in the 49^th minute to cut the lead to three.
 
"The game can be frustrating at times," said head coach Tim Romanello. "I thought tonight we could have been more committed to our disciplines and needed to be more clinical in front of goal. When you struggle to convert scoring opportunities, it sort of magnifies other details and I think that obviously shook our confidence a bit."
 
Sophomore Poe Reh tallied his twelfth goal of the season, striking in the 65^th minute to make it 5-1. Freshman Steven Thomas would score his first collegiate goal in the 89^th minute to cap the scoring
 
Isaias Nieto would collect three assists on the night, becoming the fourth player in program history to record three assists in a single match, collecting his final assist on freshman's Steven Thomas' tap in in the 89^th minute.
 
Johnny Sarmiento played all 90 minutes in goal for Rock Valley, making five saves and conceding only on the penalty attempt.
 
"The boys will bounce back and be sharper," said Romanello. "We will take a look at things on film and move on. This group responds really, really well. I love this group. Playing three games in five days is not easy, so a two-day period in between will be good for us."
 
The victory over Milwaukee makes it six straight. RVC is 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Region IV and at 18 points tied with Illinois Valley a top the standings (RVC holds the head-to-head tiebreaker).
 
The final game in a rugged four-game-in-seven-day stretch comes to a close on Saturday afternoon. Madison College makes its annual visit to Rockford for the second-leg of region play. Madison won 3-2 back in early mid-September up in Madison. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Saturday.