Cibola girls soccer wins Great Southwestern Soccer Tournament
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Twelve teams from across the Desert Southwest competed over the weekend in the Girls Great Southwestern Soccer Tournament, culminating in a championship match that decisively crowned a first-time winner. The final saw Cibola dominate Calexico to secure a 5–0 victory and claim the program’s inaugural tournament title.
Calexico entered the second half trailing 3–0 and looked to its captain, Alpha Berumen, to spark a comeback. Berumen generated early chances, first sending a shot wide to the left and later attempting to convert on a free kick, but Cibola goalkeeper Angelica Arellano rose to make the save and preserve the shutout.
Cibola soon regained momentum on the attacking end. Kendra Cortazar found space between two defenders on a through ball and fired a shot that narrowly rolled wide. Senior Angie Moreno followed with an attempt of her own, lining up and striking from distance, but her shot missed just to the right of the goal.
The sustained pressure eventually paid off for the Raiders. Moreno received a well-timed pass and lifted the ball perfectly over the goalkeeper, extending Cibola’s lead. Calexico continued to battle despite the growing deficit, with goalkeeper Lyanne Melendez making a diving save to momentarily halt the onslaught. However, the Raiders continued to press forward.
Moments later, Cortazar was awarded a penalty kick and delivered, rifling the ball into the top left corner beyond Melendez to cap the scoring. The goal sealed a commanding 5–0 result and underscored Cibola’s dominance throughout the match.
With the victory, the Raiders secured their first-ever Girls Great Southwestern Soccer Tournament championship, marking a big early-season point for the team under head coach Andres Preciado.
"We played with intensity and confidence," Preciado said after the game. "That was the key, and I told the girls we gotta play with intensity and we have to have confidence. And with that, everyone was on the same page and we were just connecting passes... I feel very excited about our potential and the girls, they also feel that as well."
