(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s soccer team (7-2, 6-2 in ACCAC) won its third straight game on Tuesday as it hosted Mesa Community College (2-6-2, 1-5-2) at the West Campus Aztec Field.
The No. 7 ranked Aztecs held off a Thunderbird rally and added insurance late in the game to claim a 3-1 victory. The Aztecs swept the regular season head-to-head meetings with the Thunderbirds as they won 3-1 in Mesa back on September. 5.
Sophomore Darian Castillo (ASU Prep) got it going early with a goal in the 5th inning.
Sophomore Sean Ribadeneira (Pinnacle HS) made it 2-0 with his goal in the 25th minute as the Aztecs held the advantage at halftime.
The Thunderbirds cut into Pima’s lead with a goal by Mikolaj Sliperski in the 51st minute but the Aztecs reclaimed the two-goal lead for good when freshman Jonathan Karumuna (Pinnacle HS) netted a goal with 10 minutes left.
The Aztecs and the Thunderbirds each finished with five shots on goal. Sophomore Tommaso Leonardi closed it out with four saves.
The Aztecs will hit the road for the next three games. They will look to avenge one of their losses on Saturday when they play at No. 3 ranked Phoenix College. Game time is set for 5:45 p.m. The Aztecs fell 1-0 to the Bears on Sept. 8. The loss snapped Pima’s 19-game home winning streak at the time.
Pima goals: Darian Castillo 5th minute; Sean Ribadeneira 25th minute; Jonathan Karumuna 80th minute.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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