Aztecs Men's Soccer ends regular season beating South Mountain; solidify No. 1 seed for Region Playoffs

The Pima Community College men's soccer team (12-2, 9-2 in ACCAC) closed out the regular season on Tuesday at the West Campus Aztec Field against South Mountain Community College (1-10-1, 1-8-1).

• The No. 3 ranked Aztecs defeated the Cougars 4-1 as they locked up the No. 1 seed for the NJCAA Region I, Division II Tournament.
• The Aztecs got on the scoreboard when sophomore Victor Loredo (Metro Tech) scored on a penalty kick in the 25^th minute. The Aztecs clinged to a 1-0 lead at halftime.
• The Aztecs drew another foul inside the box in the opening minutes of the second half and capitalized as freshman Brandon Sanchez (Canyon del Oro HS) drove in his penalty kick attempt in the 48^th minute to make it 2-0.
• The Cougars cut into Pima's lead after Brandon Soto scored in the 66^th minute but the Aztecs countered when freshman Nico Valenzuela (Salpointe Catholic HS) made it a two-goal advantage once again with his shot in the 74^th minute.
• Sophomore Junyoung Hwang helped seal it when he scored in the 80^th minute with an assist from Ismael Ruiz (Tucson Magnet HS).
• The Aztecs outshot the Cougars 14-2 for the game. Sophomore James Lynch (Salpointe Catholic HS) closed it out with one save.

The Aztecs will play in the Region I, Division II Semifinal game on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at the West Campus Aztec Field. Game time will be at 6:00 p.m. Opponent is TBA.

Pima goals: Victor Loredo (penalty kick) 25^th minute; Brandon Sanchez (penalty kick) 48^th minute; Nico Valenzuela 74^th minute; Junyoung Hwang (Ismael Ruiz) 80^th minute.