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By JAMES SARGENT

aztecpress@pima.edu

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.

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Men’s soccer gets historic win but loses final

By JAMES KELLEY
aztecpress@pima.edu

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.

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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.

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.”

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.

“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.

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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.

“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.

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

ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Men’s soccer earns three seed, home playoff game

By James Kelley
Photo by Ed Adams

The Pima Community College men’s soccer team fell short of a playoff bye but got the next best thing.

The third-seeded Aztecs (15-5) will open the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament by hosting sixth-seeded Scottsdale Community College on Monday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Pima split with the Fighting Artichokes during the regular season. Pima beat SCC 1-0 in Scottsdale on Sept. 18 but the Fighting Artichokes won 2-1 in Tucson on Oct. 16.

Regionals
Quarterfinals: Monday, Oct. 25
Semifinals: Wednesday, Oct. 27 at higher seed
Championship: Saturday, Oct. 30 at higher seed

ONLINE EXTRA: PLAYOFF UPDATE: Women’s soccer makes playoff on final day

By James Kelley
Photo by Ed Adams

Despite a late-season swoon, the Pima Community College women’s soccer team extended its season with a win over a playoff bound team.

The sixth-seeded Aztecs (7-10-1) clinched a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament by beating Phoenix College 3-2 on Oct. 24. Pima will travel to third-seeded Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Pima got swept by the Coyotes during the regular season. CGCC beat the Aztecs 2-1 both times.

Regionals
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, Oct. 26
Semifinals: Thursday, Oct. 28 at higher seed
Championship: Saturday, Oct. 30 at higher seed

Men’s soccer seeks cushy playoff spot

By James Kelley
Photo by Ed Adams

The Pima Community College men’s soccer team has four games left in the regular season but the Aztecs are sitting pretty in their ultra-competitive conference.

No. 12 Pima (13-3 overall and in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) rebounded from a 4-1 loss at No. 11 Arizona Western College by pounding GateWay Community College 7-0 on Oct. 11.

“Considering we got beat up pretty good Saturday night, I thought it was a good response from our kids,” head coach Dave Cosgrove said. “I don’t think we were very happy, a little demoralized, by what happened Saturday night in Yuma.”

Cosgrove said the GateWay game could have been dangerous. “Our emotions were down, our concentration wasn’t good, but the kids responded well,” he said. “I am very pleased with the result.”

Freshman forward Yahya Kane earned eight points, with a hat trick and two assists against the Geckos. Sophomore forward Minh Vu also made a significant impact in the goal storm, scoring one and assisting on two others.

Sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Bacon made two saves against GateWay to earn his third shutout of the season.

Pima is in a comfy spot when it comes to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 tournament, which starts Oct. 25. The top six teams in the ACCAC make the playoffs.

“I think after tonight we will still be sitting in first place, which is great but there is a lot of soccer left,” Cosgrove said Oct. 11. “Every night it keeps changing who is in first, second and third.”

The one and two seeds receive byes into the semifinals, while the three seed hosts the six seed and the four seed hosts the five seed.

Going into the games on Oct. 11, Arizona Western was first with 37 points. Pima, with 36 points, was tied for second with Chandler-Gilbert Community College. No. 15 Yavapai College (33 points), Phoenix College (29 points) and Scottsdale Community College (26 points) round out the top six.

“It’s simply going to come down to who plays best the week of the playoffs,” Cosgrove said. “There are probably five different teams that can win if they play well that entire week.”

Teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie.

Cosgrove said earning a bye is even better than home field advantage.

“The biggest advantage will probably be the teams that get one less game that week because all these games are just going to be all out super competitive games,” Cosgrove said. “Everybody is playing hard the entire time, so having an extra game will be really hard compared to the team that gets a couple days rest.”

On Oct. 9, Western beat the Aztecs 4-1 in Yuma. Kane scored Pima’s goal.

Pima routed South Mountain Community College 8-0 on Oct. 6 for the Aztecs’ third win in a row. PCC’s big three of Kane, freshman forward Donny Toia and Vu each tallied a brace, two goals.

Freshman forward Blake Brennen earned four points, scoring a goal and tallying two assists.

Sophomore goalkeeper Josh Reiffer made his season debut and earned the shutout.

Pima’s road game at Yavapai College on Oct. 4 was postponed until Oct. 18 due to weather.

On Oct. 2 the Aztecs bested Paradise Valley Community College 2-0 at home. Kane scored a goal and got an assist.

Kane’s assist was on the goal that was scored by Brennen. Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum made three saves and earned his fifth clean sheet.

Pima bounced back from its second loss of the season by taking it out on Mesa Community College on Sept. 29 in a 5-1 win.

Vu scored two goals, giving him his third multi-goal game of the season. Sophomore forward Edward Betterton, freshman forward Nicholas Peppe and Brennen scored Pima’s other goals.

Vu is first in the ACCAC in scoring with 14 goals and eight assists, which is 36 points. Kane is fifth with 17 points and Toia is seventh with 16 points.

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Women’s soccer eyes playoff spot

By James Sargent
Photo by James Kelley

The Pima Community College women’s soccer team is on the brink of a playoff berth, and needs the upcoming four games to determine if they will earn one.

Just like the men’s playoffs, the women’s will feature the top six teams from the conference, with the one and two seeds receiving byes into semifinals.

“I can’t say at this point,” head coach Kendra Veliz said about making the playoffs. “I think there’s still a chance.”

The Aztecs are 6-7-1 overall and in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.

Going into play on Oct. 11, Pima was in fifth with 19 points, six points or two wins behind fourth place Phoenix College and one point or a tie, ahead of sixth Glendale Community College.

“Initially I thought we were doing better, but we have had a couple tough games with the weather not helping us,” Veliz said of her team. “I think we are outplaying some of our opponents, we just have to finish a little better. We also need to be more consistent, individually and as a team.”

On Oct. 11, GateWay Community College beat PCC 2-1.

Sophomore forward Tamra James scored Pima’s goal. She was set up with an assist by freshman midfielder Cynthia Fierro.

Current ACCAC goalie of the week, sophomore Glykeria Antoniou, started the game in the net and only allowed one Gecko goal. Freshman Sophia Babuca played in the second half and allowed one goal as well.

On Oct. 2, PCC blew out South Mountain 9-0.

Aztec freshman defender Jade Carr scored a hat trick in the win. James continues to lead the team in scoring as she kicked home her eighth goal of the season. She is 15th in the ACCAC in scoring.

Pima tied Cochise College, 1-1, on Oct. 4 in Douglas. The Apaches beat the Aztecs 1-0 at PCC.

James scored the only goal for the Aztecs off an assist by sophomore defender Amber Bender.

The Apaches scored their goal midway through the second half. Neither team could find the net in the two overtime periods after.

The Oct. 2 game against No. 3 Paradise Valley Community College was halted due to poor weather conditions while Pima was winning 1-0. The game has been rescheduled and started from scratch on Oct. 18.

On Sept. 29, the Aztecs defeated Mesa Community College, 4-1 at the friendly confines of the West Campus soccer field.

Freshmen Kelly Button and Celeste Carrera scored the two goals in the first half that gave them the early lead.

In the second half, sophomore Miranda Brower headed in the third goal set up by freshman Susie Hansen, and Carr scored the final goal set up by freshman Trinity Houk.

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No. 7 men’s soccer atop brutal conference

Editor’s note: the Aztecs beat Mesa Community College 5-1 on Sept. 29

By James Kelley
Photos by Ed Adams

While the Pima Community College men’s soccer team’s four-match win streak was snapped on Sept. 27, head coach Dave Cosgrove wasn’t feeling that down.

The No. 7 Aztecs (9-2 overall and in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) lost 2-0 at No. 15 Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Sept. 27.

“I’m not overly concerned about it, it is not as if we lost to a bad team,” Cosgrove said. “Our kids are putting in a good effort.”

Going into play on Sept. 27, the Aztecs were in first place in the ACCAC with 27 points. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

No. 8 Arizona Western College was in second with 25 points, followed by Chandler-Gilbert and Yavapai College with 21 points. No. 9 Phoenix College was in fifth place with 19 points.

“The problem with playing all these games in this league against really good teams is that you are going to have down days and the second you do, there are a lot of good teams that can punish you,” Cosgrove said.

The Aztecs rose to the top of the conference with a 9-1 start to the season, including a five-match winning streak and then the four-match win streak.

“I knew in this league that was coming to an end,” Cosgrove said.

The ACCAC is dominating the 15-team national rankings with four teams. The Region with the next most teams in the rankings is Region 14, which is in Texas, with two teams in the top 15.

“This is the best the conference has ever been top to bottom,” Cosgrove said. “There are five legitimate top 15 teams in the country, all in our conference.”

The Aztecs beat No. 9 Phoenix College in thrilling fashion Sept. 25. Freshman forward Donny Toia, who missed a few weeks with a head injury, saved the match for Pima with a goal in the last minute of regulation.

Sophomore forward Minh Vu assisted Toia on the goal. The duo finished off PC in overtime, this time with a Vu goal from a Toia assist in the third minute of OT.

Cosgrove is not surprised Toia made such an immediate impact in his return.

“Of course, the kid is a massive player; he is arguably the best player in the league and he’s a great competitor,” Cosgrove said. “We’re obviously very happy to have him back and we are starting to get some other kids healthy.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum made four saves in the win over the Bears.

On Sept. 22, Pima beat Glendale Community College 1-0, thanks to another Vu match winner. Toia tallied the assist, picking up a point in his first match back.

“That’s been the problem with poor Minh and it showed,” Cosgrove said about the Sept. 27 game. “We have been leaning on him so much and he has done so much for the team.”

Cosgrove said Minh is physically beat up and logging lots of minutes. “It’s been hard on him, but he has been terrific.”

The Aztecs beat Scottsdale Community College 1-0 on Sept. 18 on the road. Vu scored the goal again, off an assist by freshman forward Yahya Kane. Gastelum made four saves, earning the shutout in the process.

Vu is No. 19 in the country in scoring and first in the ACCAC with 26 points, including 10 goals. Toia is eighth in ACCAC with 11 points.

“It’s no surprise, he was an All-American as a freshman, only the second player in Pima history to achieve that and for the most part this entire year he has been an All-American again,” Cosgrove said about Vu.

On Sept. 29 the Aztecs host Mesa Community College in a match too late for press time.

“We’ve put ourselves in a great position,” Cosgrove said. “The kids have done a lot of really good things. We just got to keep plugging away. There is a long way to go in this thing.”

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Women’s soccer loses three of their last four

Editor’s note: the Aztecs beat Mesa Community College 4-1 on Sept. 29.

By James Sargent
Photos by Ed Adams

The Pima Community College women’s soccer team has hit a rough patch in the season, according to head coach Kendra Veliz.

“Everybody on the team needs to step up a little bit at this point,” Veliz said.

The once No. 14 ranked Aztecs have lost three of their last four games. Their record is 4-6, overall and in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.

On Sept. 27, Pima lost 2-1 to Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler.

Sophomore forward Tamra James, who was named ACCAC player of the week for the week ending Sept. 26, scored the only goal of the first half for both teams. In the second half, CGCC answered with two goals to record the victory.

On Sept. 25, the Aztecs defeated the Bears of Phoenix College, 3-2 at home.

Phoenix scored first, but freshman forward Celeste Carrera scored an equalizer just before halftime to tie the score.

James scored two goals in the second half, with the winning one set up by Carrera.

On Sept. 22, Pima lost to Glendale Community College 3-1.

Again, James scored the only goal and again it was off of an assist by Carrera.

On Sept. 18, the Artichokes of Scottsdale Community College defeated the Aztecs 3-1.

Carrera scored the only goal. Freshman midfielder Cynthia Fierro was credited with the assist.

“We need to train harder and fix the little things,” Veliz said of her plans to improve the team. “I still think we have a good team. We are starting the second half of the season and I’m hoping for a good turnaround.”

A double feature in women’s soccer

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A double feature in women’s soccer

Story and photo by Jonathan Fraser

It’s not every day you come across twins, much less identical twins. It is even more unlikely that you’ll see those twins playing on the same sports team.

At Pima Community College, the volleyball team has a set of twins, sophomore outside hitters Krista and Erin Kallish. However, the women’s soccer team has two-upped them with two sets of freshman identical twins.

Sisters Susie Hansen (No. eight) and Sarah Hansen (No. 9) arrived at PCC from Buena High School. Celeste Carrera (No. 3) and Czelene Carrera (No. 14) came from Flowing Wells High School.

Parents of the Aztecs have shirts with their daughters’ last names and numbers on the back. For the twins, the parental shirts read “8-9” and “3-14.”

Women’s soccer head coach Kendra Veliz said she wanted both sets of twins to play for her. She actively recruited them in pairs, but was prepared to take them individually.

Veliz managed to successfully recruit both pairs of twins and establish a promising young core for PCC on offense and defense.

Naturally, there must be better chemistry between each pair of twin sisters, right?

The Carrera twins think so. They believe they are able to play off of each other.

Celeste Carrera, a forward, said at times she can telegraph where her sister, a midfielder/forward, will be on the soccer field.

“When we are playing, I just know that she will be there,” Celeste Carrera said.

On Sept. 13, Czelene Carrera scored a goal off an assist by her sister. Not to be outdone, Celeste Carrera had a streak through Sept. 25 of four matches with at least a point, including two goals during that stretch.

The Hansen twins, both of whom are defenders, do not think they play any better with each other than they do with other teammates. However, Veliz has a different opinion.

Veliz said that she definitely notices better chemistry between the twin pairs, “especially with the Hansens when they play on the same side.”

The Hansens admitted that life as a twin can be difficult at times.

They explained it can be hard to play a game if they have been fighting, and said disputes that might normally be left on the soccer field may find their way home.

“At the end of the day, I still have to go home with her,” Susie Hansen said.

To add even more pressure, people compare the twins to each other at times.

Czelene Carrera said people will judge them on the basis of, “Why can’t you do it if she can?”

But the twins do not let those types of things get them down.

They won’t reveal their secret twin languages, but do like to converse with their non-twin teammates in English.

The four have the same goal: to make the playoffs and eventually nationals this year.

It has been said that becoming a champion requires lots of hard work and a bit of luck.

Perhaps having two sets of identical twins will give the young PCC women’s soccer team a quadruple boost.

Women’s Soccer loses three of their last four

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Online Extra: Men’s soccer off to near perfect start

Editor’s note: the Aztecs entered the rankings at No. 8 on Sept. 15

Story and video by James Kelley
Photos by Ed Adams

Despite a slew of injuries, the Pima Community College men’s soccer team is one goal short of an undefeated start.

On Sept. 13, the Aztecs (6-1 overall and in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) rebounded from their first loss with a 2-1 win over GateWay Community College.

Sophomore forward Minh Vu had a hand in both Pima goals, scoring the first and earning an assist on the second. Likewise, freshman defender Bryce Parker scored the match-winning goal and got the assist on the first goal. Freshman goalkeeper Daniel Bacon made five saves.

“I’m obviously very happy, we are 6-1,” head coach Dave Cosgrove said. “Right now we sit on top of the league but there are four or five really good teams in this league, so there is a long way to go.”

PCC is first in the ACCAC with 18 points from its six wins. Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Arizona Western and Phoenix College also have only one loss.

No. 13 Arizona Western College snapped PCC’s season-opening five-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory at Pima on Sept. 11.

AWC scored the first goal but Vu responded with two goals in the first half. The Matadors scored two goals in the second half, including one late in the match to win it.

PCC played without star freshman forward Donny Toia, who was injured in a previous match.

“We were missing Donny and I stepped it up for the team,” Vu said. “I got two goals for us but they came back and scored a late goal to beat us. They’re a good team, we just let down in the second half.”

On Sept. 6, Pima secured a historic win, beating No. 5 Yavapai College 1-0. Over the last 22 years, the Roughriders have won seven national championships, made it to the national championship match 13 times, made it to the final four 17 times, won the Region in 19 of the last 22 years and won the ACCAC 21 times.

“It’s great, you are talking about the top team in the country year after year,” Cosgrove said about the win over Yavapai. “They have seven national championships and we did it mostly with just Tucson area kids.”
Toia scored the winner early in the first half off of a header assisted by midfielder Oscar Ortega.

“It was really exciting. We wanted that win, it put us into good shape,” Vu said. “We lost to Western but we are still in good shape.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Miko Gastelum earned the shutout, making three saves. In its history Yavapai has only lost 38 times and won 468 matches, going undefeated four times and losing only once six seasons.
Pima has suffered injuries to key players, including Toia. He was hit in the head by a Roughrider while scoring his goal, and had to go to the hospital. He is out at least two more weeks, pending a doctor’s visit this week.

“We’ve got massive injuries,” Cosgrove said. “In the 12 years I have been here, I’ve never seen the amount and severity of the injuries. But, it is part of the game and we thought that we had a pretty deep team to start with. The fact that we are 6-1 shows that we are.”

Freshman Yaya Kane missed the season’s first month because of Ramadan and then he injured his ankle in his second match. Cosgrove expects him to be at 100 percent in a couple of weeks.

“He’s not fit and sharp yet, but hopefully he is not hurt too bad,” Cosgrove said.

The Aztecs will now get a chance to heal a bit, thanks to a lighter than normal schedule.

“It’s going to get tough again,” Cosgrove said. “Thankfully we don’t have any more games this week until Saturday, which is a long stretch, and then we only play Wednesday and Saturday the next week, so these next two weeks are kind of slow in terms of games.”

Vu is off to a torrid start to the season. He is No. 22 in the country and leads the ACCAC in points with seven goals and five assists.

“I’m doing pretty good,” Vu said. “I’m on top of the leader board for the whole season in goals, most points in the league.”

Despite his injury, Toia is fifth in the ACCAC in points with three goals and one assist.

The Aztecs have had strong goalkeeping performances this year. Gastelum is No. 18 in the country in goals against average with a 0.56 mark, while Bacon is No. 22 with a GAA of 0.67.

On Sept. 8, PCC routed South Mountain Community College 4-0. Vu scored two goals.

Pima beat Paradise Valley Community College 4-1 on Sept. 4 in its first road trip. Freshman defender Eric Glad scored a goal in the first half. Vu scored his second goal of the season, while earning two assists.

Kane and Toia scored the other two Aztec goals. Bacon started at goalkeeper for Pima, where he made four saves.

On Sept. 1, the Aztecs won their first road match, 3-1 at Mesa Community College. Vu, Toia and Kane each scored a goal and had an assist to boot.

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