(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s soccer team (17-1-1) got retribution on Wednesday as it heads back to the NJCAA Division II National Semifinals for the fourth time in five years.
The No. 2 seeded Aztecs shut out No. 7 Southeastern Community College 2-0 to win Pool B. The Aztecs fell 3-1 to the Blackhawks in last year’s semifinal round.
“Getting the shutout means a lot because last year they scored three goals on me and I wasn’t really happy about it,” sophomore goalkeeper Juan Suarez said. “This year we got revenge, I got a shutout and I feel so much better.
“Last year we went in nervous but this year I saw the fire in my teammates’ eyes; they wanted the revenge and they wanted the win especially against the defending national champions. We’re happy with the result and we’re going to celebrate tonight.”
Suarez finished with two saves for the game.
After a scoreless first half, the Aztecs got on the scoreboard with 37:36 left in regulation when sophomore Ulysses Torres (Sunnyside HS) scored in the box with an assist from freshman Jesus Virgen (Sunnyside HS).
“I served the corner kick, we got it back in and it ricocheted in the box. (Virgen) put it back in and I anticipated where it was going to land and I just volleyed it in,” Torres said about his goal. “Southeastern is a very organized team just like the last time we played them. Since August we prepared for this moment just in case we met them again in the tournament.”
Freshman Jacob Garcia (Walden Grove HS) added some insurance with his goal in the 69thminute. Sophomore Taein Ka drove down the field and dished it to Garcia, who found the back of the net.
Sophomore defender Sam Lossou (Rincon HS), the ACCAC Player of the Year, was forced to leave the game but fellow defenders Saul Lopez (Cienega HS) and freshman Nicolai Moholt picked up the slack.
“Our coach put in a good game plan for us and we just worked hard. We knew Southeastern was a great team so we had to come out and show our best. I’m very happy with the whole team effort,” Lopez said. “It puts us closer to our goal which is to win the tournament. We’ll focus on the next game.”
The Aztecs will play on Friday. Opponent and game time are TBA.
Pima goals: Ulysses Torres (Jesus Virgen) 52nd minute; Jacob Garcia (Taein Ka) 69th minute.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics – Raymond Suarez
