(Tucson, AZ) If there is one thing the Men’s Soccer Program at Pima Community College is known for, it is winning.
Going from losing in the semifinal round of their 2017 season, the Aztecs were able to make a come back in their 2018 season and win the National Championship.
The Aztecs fell short in their 2019 season and lost in the quarterfinal round at the National Tournament and are looking to get back up in the 2020 season to make another run at the title.
When it comes to recruiting, the recruits that Head Coach David Cosgrove and his coaching staff like to bring in are athletes from Southern Arizona.
“We pride ourselves on being able to compete on the national level with local talent,” Cosgrove said.
When you look at the starters for the Aztecs, you are going to see seven if not eight of those starters from Southern Arizona or Arizona, Cosgrove said.
In this upcoming season’s recruiting class, Cosgrove has three transfers that are coming back home after spending their freshman year competing outside of Tucson.
The first in the transfers is Sunnyside High School graduate and state champion Manuel Quiroz.
After competing at Yavapai College for his freshman year, Quiroz has found his way back home and will be a huge impact player for the Aztecs, Cosgrove said.
Next in the transfers Cosgrove and his coaching staff have brought in for the upcoming season is Rincon/University High School graduate Zak Mohamed.
Mohamed spent his first year competing at Chandler-Gilbert Community College where he was named second team All-ACCAC Conference.
Mohamed was a key player for the Coyotes in the 2019 season and will be a very effective and athletic player for the Aztecs in the 2020 season.
The last in the transfers the Aztecs have coming in for the upcoming season is Ulysses Torres another graduate and state champion from Sunnyside High School.
Torres spent his freshman year competing at Benedictine University Mesa.
All of these transfers are going to be vital and key pieces to the success that the Aztecs can have in the 2020 season.
“Trying to get recruits has always been pretty easy for us,” Cosgrove said.
In the last decade, the Aztecs have been to the National Tournament six if not seven times, Cosgrove said.
“We have been producing All-American athletes since 2009 if not 2008,” Cosgrove said.
If the athletes are able to get it done in the classroom and preform on the field, it is guaranteed that they will move on and compete at the next level, Cosgrove said.
With the recruiting class the Cosgrove and the coaching staff have brought in the Aztecs are looking to make up for the disappointment the felt coming off of last season.
It was disappointing winning the National Championship the season prior to losing in the quarterfinal round this last season, Cosgrove said.
The Aztecs are looking to remain one of the top teams in the conference and win another National Championship and with the recruiting class the Cosgrove and his coaching staff have brought in, the Aztecs are one step closer to achieving their goal.
