Another season of coming up just short for the Matadors

ENID, Okla. (KYMA) - An undefeated regular season. A trip to the Region I finals. A three seed in the national tournament. Another year capped off with a heartbreaking loss in the championship game.

Arizona Western women's soccer came into this year with something they've come into every season with Victor Verdugo at the helm: High expectations.

Following a brutal 2-1 overtime loss to Daytona State in the 2024 national championship game, the pain was evident for returning players.

The Matadors played with a bitter taste in their mouth and blew through just about every team they played.

Making easy work of the regular season, a quick collapse in the Region I final brought AWC its first loss of the year. Little did they know, it was a foreshadowing of what was to play out in the national tournament.

The Matadors took to the field Saturday with revenge on their minds and a chance to wash away the bitterness of last year's championship game defeat against the same team that hoisted the NJCAA Championship banner in front of them in 2024.

As was the case for the entirety of the season, Iyan Hernandez was stellar. The goalkeeper did not allow any balls past her, stopping all seven shots she faced.

But the Matadors created a stalemate, failing to produce anything on offense on six shots on goal. The game made its way through two overtimes and still remained scoreless.

Penalty kicks came about and Hernandez turned into a shell of her normal self. Daytona State scored on its first three attempts, only missing one shot through the end of penalties.

AWC tried to hang in with its opponent, but came up just short, losing 5-4.

Odds are Arizona Western will be on next year's national championship watch list again, but it remains to be seen if they are able to win when it matters the most.