(Tucson, AZ) Pima Community College men’s soccer associate head coach Javi Holguin will leave the Aztecs to become the new head coach of the Dodge City Community College women’s soccer program (Kansas).
The Conquistadors are an NJCAA Division I program and play in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
Holguin started at Pima in 2011 where he helped guide the Aztecs to the NJCAA Division I National Championship in 2018 as well as four Final 4 appearances (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020-21), six NJCAA Region I Championships (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020-21) five West District titles (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020-21) and four straight ACCAC conference championships (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-21)
“It’s tough to leave Pima; the staff and the players. It’s hard to walk away especially when you leave a class you’re working with,” Holguin said. “This is a great opportunity (at Dodge City Community College) and I’m leaving a better coach and a better person.”
Holguin graduated from Rio Rico High School in 2004 and received a couple offers to play collegiate soccer but opted to stay in Southern Arizona. He worked with youth and high school athletes involved with club ball at the Tucson Soccer Academy and the Tanque Verde Soccer Club; which would become FC Tucson Youth. David Cosgrove is not only the Pima Men’s Soccer Head Coach but is also the Director of Coaching at FC Tucson Youth.
“I learned a lot from Cos. Day-in and day-out, there are so many things that go into how to run a program,” Holguin said. “Cos gives coaches freedom to do things and try new things. He lets you be hands-on. He guided me and showed me what was what and eventually I got to run practices and do some recruiting which never would have happened if he wasn’t so trusting in me.
“Cos and I have different styles but we have a good relationship. My favorite thing about Cos is he didn’t want a lot of ‘yes-men.’ He wanted different opinions and if we disagreed, we respected each other and I know we could have good conversations. It was never personal. Those moments and conversations helped me grow and I wouldn’t be where I am without that. We did everything we could to win. All the time spent with him was only a good thing.”
Cosgrove said that Holguin brought the Pima men’s soccer program to another level in many areas particularly in preparation and organization.
“We were lucky to have him for as long as we did,” Cosgrove said. “He’s been ready to run his own program and it’s a tribute to Pima and the kids that we were able to keep him as long as we did.”
Holguin reflected on the last 10 years with the Aztecs and said a lot of things stuck out in his mind.
“The amount of success all the teams had. I couldn’t have imagined that we would have had that much success. The players you meet along the way; their stories and the help we gave kids that wouldn’t have had the opportunity, especially the first generation college kids and athletes and their successes off the field.”
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics – Raymond Suarez
