Aztecs men's soccer claim conference title, fall at Arizona Western in regular season finale
The Pima Community College men's soccer team (15-2-3) closed out the regular season in Yuma on Thursday with a loss but the program's first accomplishment in its 29 year history.
The No. 5 ranked Aztecs fell to No. 14 Arizona Western College 2-0 but despite the loss, the Aztecs claimed their first ACCAC conference championship. The Aztecs will be the No. 1 seed in next week's NJCAA Region I, Division I Tournament.
The Matadors scored in the 6th and 50th minute and handed the Aztecs their first loss since Aug. 29. The Aztecs had gone 13-0-3 in the 16 games following that loss which is also a milestone mark for the program. Freshman goalkeeper David Silva finished the game with two saves.
"It's really surprising especially with where we were at and taking some injuries early in the season," Pima men's soccer head coach David Cosgrove said. "We weren't talking about that (conference championship), we just wanted a home game in the playoffs. It is historical stuff and a tremendous accomplishment for these kids."
The Aztecs will host the semifinal round on Wednesday at Kino North Stadium at 6:00 p.m. Their opponent will be the winner of the No. 3 Arizona Western College/No. 6 Chandler-Gilbert Community College quarterfinal on Monday. The Aztecs were undefeated at Kino North Stadium/North Grandstand with a record of 8-0-2.
"The region tournament is going to be at the national level. We could see them (Arizona Western) again on Wednesday," Cosgrove said. "They were impressive tonight."
