Arizona Western College men’s soccer beats LSU-Eunice at NJCAA tournament

The Matadors win their second match of pool play in Wichita.

WICHITA, Kan. (KYMA, KECY) - Shuntaro Endo scored to lead the Arizona Western College Matadors to a 3-0 over the Louisiana State University-Eunice Bengals on Tuesday.

AWC now 2-0 in pool play and will advance to the semifinals.

For the Matadors, Rezhis Koxhaj also got on the scoresheet. Terry Makedika and Asaki Nakamura each had an assist. The third goal was an own-goal by LSU-Eunice.

Esteban Gonzalez had three saves.

The NJCAA tournament brings along many challenges on and off the pitch. Among the most difficult, according to head coach Kenny Dale, is the adjustment to a turf pitch. However, the experience of being to the last two national championships has helped prepare the squad for these challenges.

"There is so much to adjust to for young players," Dale said. "Our guys having previously played in the national championship tournament adjust quicker than they would otherwise. We also have players from around the world. It might be a little colder than we are used to in Yuma, but we do have players that have played in the northern part of Japan or in Europe. So that is one of the advantages of having diversity in our squad."

The Matadors semifinal opponent is still to be determined due to a tie in the other pool, but AWC will be on the pitch for that match on Thursday.