Arizona Western soccer rules the night, both men’s and women’s clinch conference crowns in dramatic fashion
Matadors soccer pulls off sweep of Pima, each winning the conference title in dramatic fashion
YUMA, Ariz., (KYMA, KECY) - After a long Tuesday night on the campus of Arizona Western College at Matador Field, two teams were crowned champions of the regular season.
Both of those teams repping the Matador red and yellow colors.
It went to the great lengths of overtime in one game, followed by a tough defensive shutdown in the other to settle the score, but the job was completed. This giving Arizona Western College soccer a double-dose victory and subsequently running the ACCAC in 2022.
The men's team kicked it off first in a battle that got off to a hot start - each team trading off two goals a piece through the first 18 minutes.
Luis Ortner and Nick Kinina cashed in on goals for the Matadors early on, with the Aztecs answering qucikly each time before a scoreless second half.
And then the magic happened.
The 11th ranked Matadors will now host Yavapai in the Region I championship game on Friday, October 28 at a time to be determined at Matador Soccer Field.
On the women's side, it didn't take long before the Matadors had the Aztecs on their heals, threatening to score and controlling possession of the ball right from the opening whistle.
After several chances to put the ball through, the Lady Matadors finally cracked the scoreboard in just the 8th minute - coming off the foot of San Luis native, Victoria Clark, on a missile from beyond the box into the top shelf of the net for her 13th goal on the year.
That 1-0 lead helped the Matadors bear down on defense the rest of the way, keeping Pima out of the net for 90 minutes.
A late goal in the 77th minute from Cianna Thomas added some insurance, paving the way to a 2-0 win.
They, along with the men, will host the Region 1 Final from Matador Field next Friday, October 28th.
NOTE:
Highlights and postgame reaction are above in the YouTube link.
