Matadors hold on for dramatic win over Eastern Arizona

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The Arizona Western Matadors edged out Eastern Arizona 2-1 Saturday night to keep their perfect record alive at 6-0.

Just a minute into action, freshman Ariana Peraza fired off a shot from the left side that drifted just wide. Moments later, sophomore Yuliana Negrete Felix floated a risky pass seeking a redirection. Freshman Kanon Ozaki connected but couldn’t get the angle needed to trouble the keeper.

Still, the Matadors struck first. It was freshman Reina Kasano spotting sophomore Momo Chogyogi streaking into space, finding her with a clean feed, and Chogyogi finishing with an easy goal to put AWC ahead 1-0.

Eastern Arizona, however, wasn't going to lie down. Not long after, they orchestrated a quick coast-to-coast attack, threading passes through the Matadors' broken defense.

Matadors goalkeeper Tindra Biedermann rushed to close the angle, but couldn't prevent the goal. It was the first score AWC had allowed all season and tied the match 1-1.

Chogyogi tried to restore the lead, pushing into enemy territory later in that same stretch, but her shot was cleared by the Monsters' defense.

As the minutes wound down, tension mounted, but it was Linka Ono who proved to be the difference. With just four minutes remaining, Ono found space and scored, giving Arizona Western the go‑ahead goal, eventually leading to the victory to remain undefeated this year.