Arizona Western men’s soccer returns to Region I Final with win over Mohave

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Arizona Western College men's soccer is one win away from a Region I championship after defeating Mohave College 2-1 in the semifinals Tuesday night at Matador Field.

The Matadors entered the postseason having defeated the Bighorns twice by a combined score of 8-1 during the regular season and carried that success into their third meeting, scoring twice in the opening 16 minutes to establish an early advantage.

Arizona Western opened the scoring in the fourth minute after a mistake by Mohave's goalkeeper. As Tyrese Agbontaen tracked down the ball, the goalkeeper attempted to clear it but sent it directly to Taikan Naito, who capitalized on the open net to give the Matadors a 1-0 lead.

AWC doubled its advantage in the 16th minute when Godwin Anim made a run toward the back line before delivering a pass to Sayuki Miyatani. Miyatani finished the opportunity to put the Matadors ahead 2-0.

Mohave responded in the second half, with Alan Salgado finding the back of the net in the 61st minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Bighorns' goal brought renewed pressure, but Arizona Western held on to secure the victory and advance to the Region I championship game.

The victory sends Arizona Western back to the title game for the first time since 2024.

Now, Arizona Western will have an opportunity to finish the job on its home field when it hosts Eastern Arizona in the Region One championship next Tuesday.