All Entries in the "Soccer" Category
ONLINE EXTRA: 2011 Women’s Soccer schedule
Photo by ED ADAMS
Home Field: West Campus
Game Admission: Free for regular season games
Thursday August 25 @ *Chandler-Gilbert CC :W 1-0 OT
Saturday August 27 @ *Mesa CC :W 1-0
Tuesday August 30 @ *Paradise Valley CC 1 p.m.
Saturday September 3 @ *Cochise College 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday September 6 @ *South Mountain CC 1 p.m.
Tuesday September 13 @ *GateWay CC 4:30 p.m.
Saturday September 17 *SCOTTSDALE CC noon
Thursday September 22 @ *Glendale CC 1 p.m.
Saturday September 24 *PHOENIX COLLEGE noon
Tuesday September 27 *CHANDLER-GILBERT CC 1 p.m.
Thursday September 29 *MESA CC 1 p.m.
Saturday October 1 *PARADISE VALLEY CC noon
Tuesday October 4 *COCHISE COLLEGE 1 p.m.
Thursday October 6 *SOUTH MOUNTAIN CC 1 p.m.
Tuesday October 11 *GATEWAY CC 1 p.m.
Saturday October 15 @ *Scottsdale CC 10 a.m.
Tuesday October 18 @ *Phoenix College 4:30 p.m.
Thursday October 20 *GLENDALE CC 1 p.m.
Tuesday October 25 NJCAA Region I Quarter-Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
Thursday October 27 NJCAA Region I Semi-Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
Saturday October 29 NJCAA Region I Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
Nov. NJCAA District A Playoff TBA
Nov. NJCAA National Championship TBA
*ACCAC game
Home games in BOLD
Sarah Hansen
Follow us on Twitter for Aztec sports news and scores
ONLINE EXTRA: 2011 Men’s Soccer schedule
Photo by ED ADAMS
Home Field: West Campus
Game Admission: Free for regular season games
Thursday August 25 @ *Chandler-Gilbert CC : W 2-1
Saturday August 27 @ *Mesa CC 7 p.m.
Tuesday August 30 @ *Paradise Valley CC 3:30 p.m.
Saturday September 3 @ *Yavapai College 6 p.m.
Tuesday September 6 @ *South Mountain CC 3:30 p.m.
Friday September 9 @ *Arizona Western College 6 p.m.
Friday September 13 @ *GateWay CC 7 p.m.
Saturday September 17 *SCOTTSDALE CC 2:30 p.m.
Thursday September 22 @ *Glendale CC 3:30 p.m.
Saturday September 24 *PHOENIX COLLEGE 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday September 27 *CHANDLER-GILBERT CC 3:30 p.m.
Thursday September 29 *MESA CC 3:30 p.m.
Saturday October 1 *PARADISE VALLEY CC 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday October 4 *YAVAPAI COLLEGE 3:30 p.m.
Thursday October 6 *SOUTH MOUNTAIN CC 3:30 p.m.
Saturday October 8 *ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE 2 p.m.
Tuesday October 11 *GATEWAY CC 3:30 p.m.
Saturday October 15 @ *Scottsdale CC 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday October 18 @ *Phoenix College 7 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 20 *GLENDALE CC 3:30 p.m.
Monday October 24 NJCAA Region I Quarter-Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
Wednesday October 26 NJCAA Region I Semi-Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
Saturday October 29 NJCAA Region I Finals (@ Higher Seed) TBA
November NJCAA District A Playoff TBA
November NJCAA National Championship TBA
*ACCAC game
Home games in BOLD
Yaya Kane
Follow us on Twitter for Aztec sports news and scores
Women’s soccer team holding tryouts
By JAMES SARGENT
Photo by JAMES KELLEY
Lady Aztecs will have their chance to join one of Pima Community College’s sports teams, as the women’s soccer team will be holding open tryouts.
On April 9, the Aztecs will hold tryouts at the West Campus soccer field from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Amber Bender
Go to the soccer team’s website, for more information.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
Donny Toia signs with Major League Soccer club
Story and photo by JAMES KELLEY
Pima Community College sophomore-to-be Donny Toia of the men’s soccer team has left early to play professionally.
Toia signed with the Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.
“Toia is really athletic, left-footed, fast, can jump – likely an attacking player,” said Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey in a press release.
Despite missing much of the 2010 season with a head injury, Toia was named to the All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference second team.
Donny Toia
The forward was 10th in the league in points, with seven goals and five assists.
Toia, 18, played two years in the Real Salt Lake youth program.
Toia was named The Arizona Republic’s “Big Schools Player of the Year” while at Canyon del Oro High School. He turned down offers from NCAA schools and RSL to play for Pima.
Real Salt Lake, which won the MLS championship in 2009, will take its time with Toia, Lagerway said.
“I think it’s critical that we not put big expectations on players that are this young,” he said. “These are players that are multiple years away from contributing to our team.”
Toia is RSL’s first “homegrown” player.
“Homegrown” players must have played in the club’s youth system, cannot have played for a four-year college, are protected from being drafted by other teams and do not count against the salary cap.
The program encourages MLS teams to develop players from academies like in Europe, as opposed to drafting them.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
SPORT SHORTS: Men’s soccer holding tryouts
By JAMES KELLEY
Aztecs will have their chance to join one of Pima Community College’s best teams, as the men’s soccer team will be holding open tryouts.
On March 26, the Aztecs will hold tryouts at the West Campus soccer field from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Go to the soccer team’s website for more information.
Women’s soccer to scrimmage UA/NAU
In between the tryout sessions for the men’s team, the women’s soccer team will scrimmage against the club teams of the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
Also at the West Campus, the Aztecs will play UA and NAU from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
Will you be my sports Valentine? Soccer forward catches eye of goalkeeper
By HANNAH McLEOD
Photo courtesy of TAMRA JAMES
A soccer couple gets a kick out of Valentine’s Day as they share how they first met.
Tamra James, a sophomore forward for Pima Community College’s soccer team, caught Miko Gastelum’s eye a year ago.
“I thought she was cute,” said Gastelum, goalkeeper for the mens’ soccer team. “She had super long hair and was always energetic and bouncing around.”
James took a bit longer than Gastelum would have liked for her to notice him. They didn’t begin talking until their soccer class last spring.
“He would want to play soccer with me and would talk to me,” James recalled with a laugh. “He also looked sexy in his matching goalie outfit.”
Besides being attracted to each other because of their good looks, they also admired each other’s soccer skills.
“He is a fierce player,” James said about Gastelum. “He is very intimidating.”
Gastelum had compliments of his own about James’ skills. She was named to the All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference/National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Women’s Soccer First Team during the fall season.
Miko Gastelum and Tamra James
“The words I would describe her with in soccer are crafty and fast,” he said.
Because the soccer teams travel together, Gastelum and James got to see each other play regularly. That offered a chance to talk about their games and give each other advice.
“He always tries to give me advice,” James said. “I’m stubborn, but I listen.”
Gastelum, on the other hand, apparently doesn’t need any advice.
“The keeper knows everything,” Gastelum said with a smile. “Ask any other keeper and they would say the same.”
Gastelum will continue his soccer career on scholarship at Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, Wash.
James will try out for several colleges within the next two months, as she hopes to continue playing after she finishes at PCC.
Will the soccer couple end up kicking the ball around at the same college? Only time will tell.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
Haught faces hardships on and off the pitch
By AMBER BENDER
Photo by ED ADAMS
aztecpress@pima.edu
For Pima Community College student Jessica Anne Haught, life is a constant go. Between school, work, family, friends and soccer, down time is minimal.
Haught, 20, lives by a quote from T.S. Elliot: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
Life has not always been easy, but she keeps pushing through.
Haught, one of four daughters, was born in Phoenix. She grew up in Young, Ariz., and moved to Tucson in 2004. Haught went to high school at Cienega.
Although she appreciates the opportunities Tucson offers, she most enjoyed living in Young.
“It’s kind of like my home town,” she said. “I like the small-town feel and I like the mountains, not the desert.”
One of Haught’s earliest memories is when both she and her younger sister Shauna broke their legs, and her best friend pulled them around in a wagon.
Tragically, Shauna died of a stroke when she was 4.
Haught’s greatest regret? “Not loving my sister more when she was alive.”
Jessica Haught
Just recently, Haught’s father had to undergo brain surgery. He is now home and recovering, but the ordeal hit the family hard.
Haught credits her family’s Christian beliefs for helping them through the crises.
She has managed to stay on track, graduating from high school as a straight “A” student. Last month, she finished her third season playing for the Pima women’s soccer program, after being forced to red-shirt her second year due to injury.
In 2009, the Aztecs won the Arizona Community College Athletic Association championship but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs at home.
This past season, Haught was a team captain and a starter in every game. She was named to the All-Region 2nd Team and hopes to receive the All-American Award that is given to athletes who maintain a 3.5 or higher grade point average.
Haught’s field of study is fire science. She plans on becoming a firefighter and wants to live in Colorado, preferably Colorado Springs.
She has her future planned: “Two years at a university playing soccer, then a career firefighting and being a part-time coach.”
Upcoming challenges are “having money for college, the physical part of being a firefighter and working to get my paramedic.”
Haught is considering some schools in Colorado, University of Washington and Berry University in Miami.
Another worry is the hiring freeze in her career field. It’s tough economically and not many opportunities exist to get on with a fire department.
To overcome these challenges, she plans on “working hard without giving up and pushing through every challenge that comes along.”
Quitting isn’t a word in her vocabulary.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
Sports Shorts
By JAMES SARGENT
Women’s soccer players honored
Three Pima Community College women’s soccer team members were recognized for the efforts they gave in the 2010 season.
Sophomore Tamra James earned All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference first team and All-Region 1 first team honors. The veteranforward led the team with 21 points as she scored nine goals and had three assists.
Two midfielders, sophomore Jessica Haught and freshman Adriana Ortiz, were both named to the All-ACCAC second team.
Softball wrapping up fall ball
The Pima Community College softball team is about to finish its 2010 fall scrimmage schedule.
Their last fall scrimmages will be on Wednesday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 13.
On Nov. 10, the Aztecs play Arizona Desert Thunder at 7 p.m.
Pima then closes out autumn with a doubleheader on Saturday, Nov. 13, against the Tucson Scramblers at West Campus. First pitch is scheduled for 8 a.m.
The Aztecs will then have about two months off until the 2011 season begins. The first game is against North Idaho College on Jan. 28 in Las Vegas at 11:30 a.m.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
Men’s soccer gets historic win but loses final
By JAMES KELLEY
aztecpress@pima.edu
Alex Anderson battles a Yavapai player for the ball. Pima handed YC its first playoff loss in 11 years. Photo by Ed Adams
The Pima Community College men’s soccer team has earned an epic win in the playoffs but lost the Regional championship and thus their season ended.
Top-seeded and No. 6 Arizona Western College beat the No. 14 and third-seeded Aztecs (17-6) 2-0 on Oct. 30 in Yuma in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 Tournament Final.
“We just didn’t take our chances,” head coach Dave Cosgrove said. “Western played better than us in the first half and got a good goal. In the second half, we played better and created a lot of good chances, we just needed to score a goal.”
The loss came three days after Pima upset second-seeded and then No. 10 Yavapai College on the road in the semifinals 4-1. Yavapai’s loss is their first in the playoffs this century. YC knocked Pima out of the playoffs in Prescott the last five years.
“That’s a historic win,” Cosgrove said. “I keep telling everybody that Yavapai has lost two games west of the Mississippi in the playoffs since 1990 and both have been to Pima.
“That is the first time that Yavapai did not play in a Region final and the fact that it was up there and the score was 4-1 was unbelievable. I don’t think they have ever lost at home that bad, much less in the playoffs.”
Freshman forward Yaya Kane scored Pima’s first goal off of an assist by sophomore forward Minh Vu. Freshman forward Donny Toia scored the Aztecs’ second goal. Both PCC goals were late in the second half.
After Yavapai cut the Pima lead to one, Toia answered with a goal assisted by Vu. In the 82nd minute, Kane scored PCC’s fourth goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum played the full 90 minutes in goal, making two saves.
Yavapai has won seven National championships and 19 Region championships. The Roughriders’ only other loss in the playoffs was to Pima in 1999.
Before the 1999 win, Pima’s last Region title was in 1988. That was the year before Yavapai started.
Despite the fact that Pima’s Region had five teams ranked in the top 15 this year, the Aztecs’ stellar season and their win for the ages, their season ended. Cosgrove said they have been lobbying for wildcards in the playoffs for years.
“Throughout the 2000s, mostly it’s been Pima. I think we have been in seven of the 10 Regional finals. II think at least three or four of those years our second place team was probably one of the top three in the country. It just happened to be that they lost to either the first or second best team in the country in the final,” Cosgrove said. “We all feel very strongly that’s what should happen.”
Before the tournament started, Cosgrove said that the teams with byes to the semifinals—Western and Yavapai—had a huge advantage. Pima had to play sixth-seeded Scottsdale Community College, which it beat 3-0, in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Yavapai got to rest and play the semifinals at home.
“There’s no doubt, not that that is an excuse, Western deserved to win that night. But that’s the big advantage of being a one or a two seed,” Cosgrove said. “You don’t have to play those extra games then. Extra road trip, extra games, extra everything and it makes it very, very difficult with that game.”
Cosgrove expects Pima to again do well next year. The Aztecs are waiting on decisions on whether some players might return, like forward Donny Toia, who could turn professional. Toia turned down an offer by Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer to play in their youth system, choosing instead to play for Pima this season.
“We anticipate, just as we do every year, that we will be very good and compete for the Region championship and be a top 15 team in the country,” Cosgrove said.
Kolby Jacobson surveys the field in Pima's 1-0 win over Yavapai at home. Photo by Ed Adams
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Men’s soccer loses championship game
By James Kelley
Photo by Ed Adams
The Pima Community College men’s soccer team’s bid for Nationals ended at top-seeded Arizona Western College on Oct. 30.
The No. 12 Aztecs lost 2-0 to No. 9 Western in Yuma in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 Tournament Final.
Western, the top seed in the tourney, scored goals in the first and second halves. Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum made five saves for PCC.
Pima finishes the season 17-6.
The Matadors will now host the West District Playoffs for a spot in Nationals.
Donny Toia
ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Men’s soccer heads to championship after historic win
Story and Video by James Kelley
Photo by Ed Adams
On Wednesday night, the Pima Community College men’s soccer team scored a win for the ages.
The third-seeded Aztecs (17-5) upset the second-seeded and No. 10 ranked Yavapai College 4-1 in the semifinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 Tournament at Yavapai.
No. 12 Pima will travel to top-seeded Arizona Western College (17-3-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the Region championship game. No. 9 Western beat fifth-seeded Phoenix College on penalty kicks in the semifinals.
Freshman forward Yaya Kane scored Pima’s first goal off of an assist by sophomore forward Minh Vu. Freshman forward Donny Toia scored the Aztecs’ second goal. Both PCC goals were late in the second half.
After Yavapai cut the Pima lead to one, Toia answered with a goal assisted by Vu. In the 82nd minute, Kane scored PCC’s fourth goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum played the full 90 minutes in goal, making two saves.
Yavapai’s loss is their first in the playoffs this century. YC had knocked Pima out of the playoffs in Prescott the last five years.
Yavapai has won seven National championships and 19 Region championships. The Roughriders’ only other loss in the playoffs was to Pima in 1999.
Before the 1999 win, Pima’s last Region title was in 1988. That was the year before Yavapai started.
During the regular season, Arizona Western swept Pima. They won 3-2 in Tucson on Sept. 11, as the Aztecs collapsed late in the second half, and won 4-1 in Yuma on Oct. 9.
The winner of Regionals hosts the West District Playoffs on Nov. 5-6, welcoming the champions of Region 9 and 18 to Arizona to play for the right to go to Nationals.
Otero (Colo.) Junior College (15-1-1) won the Region 9 Tournament and North Idaho College is the only team in Region 18. Both are unranked.
Women’s soccer knocked out of playoffs in first round
By JAMES SARGENT
Photos by Ed Adams
aztecpress@pima.edu
The Pima Community College women’s soccer season came to an end Oct. 26 with a 4-1 loss to Chandler-Gilbert Community College on the playoffs’ first day.
Third-seeded Chandler-Gilbert beat sixth-seeded Pima in Chandler in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament.
“The score doesn’t affect how well we played,” head coach Kendra Veliz said. “We got extremely unlucky at one point in the game and the breaks didn’t go our way. So I don’t think the score reflects how competitive the game actually was.”
Jade Carr
The Aztecs’ final record was 7-10-1, including their only playoff game.
“I would have liked to have a winning season, but making the playoffs was one of our goals,” Veliz said. “Things just didn’t go our way and now we need to look towards next year.”
Freshman defender Dionae Avendano scored the lone goal for Pima, which came in the second half.
The Aztecs defeated Phoenix College 3-2 on Oct. 23 in a key victory that clinched the final spot in the Region I playoffs.
Freshmen Celeste Carrera, Trinity Houk and Sarah Hansen were the goal scorers for Pima in the critically important win.
Pima lost a close one to Glendale Community College, 1-0, on Oct. 20 on the road.
On Oct. 18, the Aztecs were shut out, 1-0, by No. 2 Paradise Valley Community College. The game was rain-delayed from Oct. 2 with Pima leading 1-0.
It was a back-and-forth match with both goalkeepers making saves. The Pumas escaped Tucson with a late goal in the second half to seal the victory.
On Oct. 16, Pima was defeated, 2-1, by No. 14 Scottsdale Community College.
The Aztecs’ only goal came from sophomore Amber Bender, but it wasn’t enough to hold on for the victory. The Fighting Artichokes scored two goals after the Pima goal to decide the game.
Despite a first round playoff exit, for the second year in a row, Veliz is confident for the future. PCC had 15 freshmen.
Paula Arroyave
“We had a lot of freshman so I hope that they learned what it is to compete in this league and they can be ready for next year,” Veliz said about the possibilities for next season.
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
MEN’S SOCCER: PCC sweeps awards, wins opener
Story, Photo and Video by James Kelley
aztecpress@pima.edu
A few hours after winning big when conference awards were announced on Oct. 25, the Pima Community College men’s soccer team certainly showed they deserve the accolades.
The third-seeded Aztecs (16-5) routed sixth-seeded Scottsdale Community College 3-0 on Oct. 25 in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament.
Pima head coach Dave Cosgrove, who won Region 1 Coach of the Year, said the Aztecs settled down in the second half after struggling in the first. They also had to deal with substantial wind.
“For a while there it looked like we never were going to score, but once we got the first one, it came a little bit easier,” Cosgrove said. “I think it was, especially with the second half, a fair result.”
Freshman forward Donny Toia broke the deadlock in the 60th minute off an assist by Region 1 Player of the year and sophomore forward Minh Vu. Freshman defender Kolby Jacobson scored the second goal off a throw-in by sophomore defender Matt Kappas a few minutes later.
Freshman forward Yaya Kane scored the third goal on a SportsCenter type play where he dribbled right through the SCC defense. Freshman goalkeeper Miko Gastelum scored the shutout with five saves.
Kane said the goal that was scored by Toia served to “help us to open the game.”
The Aztecs now face a rough road to the championship though. They’ll face community college soccer super power No. 12 Yavapai College (15-4-1) on the road in the semifinals.
The game was Oct. 27, but the results were unavailable at press time. For playoff updates, go to AztecPressOnline.com and Twitter.com/AztecSports.
Second-seeded Yavapai has won seven national championships and boasts an almost perfect record at home in the postseason.
“It’s a great environment, they got a great home field advantage and a very good team,” Cosgrove said. “In 20 years they have lost one time in the playoffs up there, so it’s a monumental task, but I think if we play well and our kids take their chances and finish well, we can play with anybody in our conference and in the country.”
During the regular season, the Aztecs and Roughriders split, with Pima winning 1-0 in Tucson on Sept. 6 and Yavapai winning 4-2 in Prescott on Oct. 18. Pima’s last five seasons have ended with losses at Yavapai in the playoffs.
“I feel very confident, because we beat them at home and we lost to them over there, but I think we dominated over there,” Vu said. “I feel confident about playing them again.”
Vu was also named first team All-ACCAC and All-Region 1 first team, joined by Kane on both of the squads. Toia and freshman defender Eric Glad were named second team All-ACCAC.
Minh Vu
Vu also won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference scoring title with 39 points, 15 goals and nine assists. Vu, a second team All-American last year, said winning player of the year was “exciting.”
“I think it’s the body of work, not only this year but over the last two years he’s been just dynamic like for us,” Cosgrove said. “He scores big goals, he steps up in the biggest environments. So I think it is well deserved and to be honest I wasn’t surprised.”
The Aztecs closed out the regular season Oct. 23 with a 2-0 win at Phoenix College. Toia and freshman forward Donny Blake Brennen scored Pima’s goals. Freshman forward Alex Anderson got the assist on both goals.
Vu credits winning the Phoenix game with helping PCC beat Scottsdale two days later.
“As a team we felt very confident coming in,” Vu said. “We got the big win against Phoenix and we wanted to play at home, and we got the big win. We are taking it one game at a time.”
The game against Phoenix was Toia’s third in a row with a goal. Gastelum made two saves in earning the shutout.
Pima snapped its brief two-game losing streak on Oct. 20 in dominant fashion with a 6-2 win at Glendale Community College. Toia led the way for the Aztecs with two goals and an assist.
The Aztecs’ loss to Yavapai came on Oct. 18 by a margin of 4-2. Toia scored a goal, giving him a point in six straight games. Kane had the assist. Freshman defender Bryce Parker scored Pima’s other goal.
On Oct. 16, the last time Pima played Scottsdale, they lost 2-1 at West Campus. Kane scored the Aztec goal off an assist by Anderson. Kane’s goal was his eighth in the last five games.
“I think we took our chances in the second half,” Cosgrove said Oct. 25. “The last time we played them, we had the same amount of quality chances and we didn’t make them.
“This is the time of year if you do that then you are going to lose, but today we got that first one. Then once we got the second one, it got very comfortable for us and obviously the third one just put the icing on the cake.”
Follow us on Twitter for sports news and scores
ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Women’s soccer bounced from playoffs in first round
By James Sargent
Photo by Ed Adams
The Pima Community College women’s soccer season came to an end Oct. 26 with a 4-1 loss to Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
Third-seeded Chandler-Gilbert beat sixth-seeded Pima in Chandler in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament.
Jade Carr
“The score doesn’t affect how well we played,” head coach Kendra Veliz said. “We got extremely unlucky at one point in the game and the breaks didn’t go our way. So I don’t think the score reflects how competitive the game actually was.”
The Aztecs’ final record was 7-10-1, including their only playoff game.
“I would have liked to have a winning season, but making the playoffs was one of our goals,” Veliz said. “Things just didn’t go our way and now we need to look towards next year.”
Freshman defender Dionae Avendano scored the lone goal for Pima, which came in the second half.
Despite the first round playoff exit, Veliz is confident for next season. PCC had 15 freshmen on its roster
“We had a lot of freshman so I hope that they learned what is to compete in this league and they can be ready for next year,” Veliz said about the possibilities for next season.
ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Men’s soccer wins playoff opener, sweeps awards
Story, Photo and Video by James Kelley
The Pima Community College men’s soccer team wasting no time in showing they deserved the long list of accolades they received on Monday.
The third-seeded Aztecs (16-5) routed sixth-seeded Scottsdale Community College 3-0 on Sept. 25 in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament.
Pima head coach Dave Cosgrove, who won Region 1 Coach of the Year, said the Aztecs settled down in the second half after struggling in the first. They also had to deal with substantial wind.
“For a while there it looked like we never were going to score, but once we got the first one, it came a little bit easier,” Cosgrove said. “I think it was, especially with the second half, a fair result.”
Freshman forward Donny Toia broke the deadlock in the 60th minute off an assist by Region 1 Player of the year and sophomore forward Minh Vu. Freshman defender Kolby Jacobson scored the second goal off a throw-in by sophomore defender Matt Kappas.
Freshman forward Yaya Kane scored the third goal on a SportsCenter type play where he dribbled right through the SCC defense. Freshman goalkeeper Miko Gastelum scored the shutout with five saves.
Kane said the goal by Toia served to “help us to open the game.”
The Aztecs now face a rough road to the championship though. They’ll face community college soccer super power No. 12 Yavapai College (15-4-1) on the road in the semifinals.
Second-seeded Yavapai has won seven national championships and boasts an almost perfect record at home in the postseason.
“It’s a great environment, they got a great home field advantage and a very good team,” Cosgrove said. “In 20 years they have lost one time in the playoffs up there, so it’s a monumental task, but I think if we play well and our kids take their chances and finish well, we can play with anybody in our conference and in the country.”
During the regular season, the Aztecs and Roughriders split, with Pima winning 1-0 in Tucson on Sept. 6 and Yavapai winning 4-2 in Prescott on Oct. 18. Pima’s last five seasons have ended with losses at Yavapai in the playoffs.
“I feel very confident, because we beat them at home and we lost to them over there, but I think we dominated over there,” Vu said. “I feel confident about playing them again.”
Vu was named first team All-ACCAC and All-Region 1 first team, joined by Kane on both all-star squads. Toia and freshman defender Eric Glad were named to the second team of the All-ACCAC.
Donny Toia
Vu also won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference scoring title with 39 points, 15 goals and nine assists. Vu, an All-American last year, said winning player of the year was “exciting.”
“I think it’s the body of work, not only this year but over the last two years he’s been just dynamic like for us,” Cosgrove said. “He scores big goals, he steps up in the biggest environments. So I think it is well deserved and to be honest I wasn’t surprised.”
The Aztecs closed out the regular season Oct. 23 with a 2-0 win at Phoenix College.
“As a team we felt very confident coming in,” Vu said. “We got the big win against Phoenix and we wanted to play at home, and we got the big win. We are taking it one game at a time.”
The win avenged an earlier 2-1 home loss to on Oct. 16 Scottsdale, they lost 2-1 at West Campus.
“I think we took our chances in the second half,” Cosgrove said Oct. 25. “The last time we played them, we had the same amount of quality chances and we didn’t make them.
“This is the time of year if you do that then you are going to lose, but today we got that first one. Then once we got the second one, it got very comfortable for us and obviously the third one just put the icing on the cake.”
Regionals:
Semifinals: Wednesday, Oct. 27
Championship: Saturday, Oct. 30 at higher seed
Loading ...
Aztec Blog
Aztec News
Aztec Sports
Facebook