Five years ago, Bakari Mtende came to the United States from a refugee camp in Tanzania.
He quickly found himself on the soccer pitch, competing for Des Moines Roosevelt High School and Sporting Iowa.
While that helped him get situated in a new home, it wasn't until he came to Iowa Central that he found himself on another level of play.
"I became a faster player," Mtende said. "Not only physically, but especially mentally. I have played at a low division where we just played for fun really.
"Now, it is serious and if you get the ball, you have to think fast, control it and get rid of it as fast as possible without losing it to the opponent. This was probably my biggest development I have learned from practicing here and playing on the field."
In 11 matches this season, Mtende has scored three goals and recorded four assists for the Tritons, who head to Spencer to face Iowa Lakes Tuesday afternoon in another key ICCAC Div. I showdown. The Lakers claimed a 1-0 overtime in at Rogers Sports Complex last month.
He had a two-goal performance in a 10-0 win over Scott and had three assists with a goal in a season-opening victory vs. St. Louis.
Following a draw and three consecutive losses to ranked teams, the Tritons got back on track this past weekend with a 3-1 win at Indian Hills. Mtende saw everyone come together on that day.
"I think the benefit of playing as a team is that you always have someone who pushes you to be better and develop," he said. "This can be coaches or teammates. There's time if I have a problem I talk with my roommates and they support and help me.
"If we as a team had to improve on something we did it and showed it in our next game. The best example is the game against Indian Hills where we had to win because we had lost the last three in a row.
"There's nothing quite like the feeling of victory, especially when it comes to the conference games."
Mtende, a midfielder, got his feet wet with Iowa Central in the spring, playing in 11 matches with two goals scored.
-By Dana Becker