Region IV
 
Rock Valley                3          Roberto Davila (17'), Julio Davila (56'), Alfredo Jimenez (76')
Prairie State              2          Magloire Makila (60'), Bruno Guggiari (86')
 
Rock Valley: 1-DeLeon (GK), 4-Ceniceros, 6-Davila (14-Jimenez), 7-Cuevas-Tapia, 8-Rufer, 9-Davila (11-Olivares), 12-Pinedo, 16-Vazquez, 17-Laumer, 19-Montalvo (10-Rebori), 32-Luna-gen Subs Not Used: 2-Curry, 5-Love, 15-Green, 18-Campbell, 21-Williams, 24-Ramos-vega, 27-Fritz (GK)
 
ROCKFORD, Ill. – Men's soccer concluded their 2022 regular season Saturday afternoon in huge fashion. The playoff-bound Golden Eagles earned a 3-2 road victory over eleventh-ranked Prairie State in Chicago Heights, Illinois.
 
The Pioneers controlled much of the game's first ten minutes. As the visitors grew into the start of the match, you could see Rock Valley gain a bit of confidence. As Prairie State possessed the ball deep on the far side of the RVC half, sophomore defender Elijah Rufer won a tackle and quickly found an outlet to which Rock Valley found a counter attack opportunity. Alejandro Montalvo played in Roberto Davila, who then beat the keeper in 17^th minute to give the Golden Eagles an early 1-0 lead.
 
Too much of the surprise of Prairie State, Rock Valley managed to go back-and-forth for the entire half. "I thought the guys were deserving of the result this afternoon," said head coach Tim Romanello following the match. "We needed to match the tempo and find our bearings, but once the guys settled down and managed their initial 10-12 minute wave there in the beginning of the match, you could see their confidence grow a bit and fell into the game quite nicely. It helped that we managed our moments."
 
HALF TIME: Rock Valley 1-0 Prairie State
 
As the two teams changed halves, Rock Valley would need to fight a stiff wind in the second half in order to earn a result. In the 56^th minute, Rock Valley would double their lead after Brayan Cuevas-Tapia found Julio Davila for their second goal of the match. Davila eluded two Prairie State defenders before beating the Pioneers goalkeeper with well-placed shot tucked inside the far post.

The two-goal advantage would not last long. Prairie State beat goalkeeper Miguel DeLeon on a backside header in the 60^th minute to cut the lead in half. As Rock Valley managed to fight off the Prairie State attack and the wind in tandem, the Golden Eagles managed to convert a second counterattack goal in the 76^th minute to go up 3-1 with just under a quarter-of-an-hour to play. Alfredo Jimenez slotted home a one-time cross in front of net off Montalvo's second assist of the afternoon.

As the minutes ticked on, Prairie State increased their pressure on the Rock Valley backline, but the Golden Eagles stood firm. As the defensive lines bent to counter the all-out attack, Prairie State managed a second goal, an absolute rocket from Bruno Guggiari in the 86^th minute. DeLeon and the backline needed to manage one last dangerous moment before the final whistle to see out the victory.

"Prairie State is great program, always nationally ranked, always in competition for that region championship," continued Romanello. "So to get the win today, at their place, it's a big result."

Miguel DeLeon earned the victory with a ten-save afternoon. Julio Davila scored his team-leading 11^th goal of the season. Roberto Davila's 10^th goal pushed his team-leading points mark to 31.

FULL TIME: Rock Valley 3-2 Prairie State

Rock Valley College closes out the 2022 regular season and region play at 12-3-2 overall and 6-1-2 in their first season as a Division II Region IV member. Rock Valley moved ahead of Waubonsee for District B's third seed in the upcoming region tournament. The Golden Eagles will travel to Illinois Valley on Sunday, October 30^th. Kickoff will be at 12:00 pm from LaSalle Rotary Park.