Region I Men’s Soccer Finals await Matadors for first time ever
Jim Howell
Oct. 29th, 2009
Matadors advance with 2-1 overtime thriller decided by penalty kicks
Yuma, Arizona – October 29, 2009 – Arizona Western College is proud to announce that the AWC Men’s Soccer team has earned a berth in the Region I Men’s Soccer Finals for the first time ever. They earned the spot by virtue of their 2-1 win over Phoenix College Thursday night in the Region I Semifinals at Hoy Stadium in Phoenix. The match was decided by penalty kicks, 6-5, after the teams were deadlocked, 1-1, at the end of two overtimes. The 3rd-seeded Matadors will face top-seeded Yavapai College in Saturday’s Region I Championship Game after the Roughriders beat 4th-seeded Pima, 2-1, in the Region I Semifinals in Prescott Thursday.
After defeating 6th-seeded Scottsdale, 2-1, Tuesday night in the Region I Quarterfinals in Yuma, the 3rd-seeded Matadors headed to the Valley of the Sun seeking their first victory at Hoy Stadium since 2006. Meanwhile, the 2nd-seeded Phoenix College Bears were looking for their first victory over AWC this season after playing to a scoreless tie against AWC at Hoy Stadium back in September, then falling to the Matadors, 1-0, when the two teams faced each other at the AWC Soccer Field 12 days ago. Not surprisingly, just like the first two matchups, the defenses continued to control the action tonight as the two teams played to a scoreless first half. Then, early in the second half, Phoenix’s Ryan Hunter got the Bears on the board in the 53rd minute with a kick near the right sideline that went over the head of AWC goalkeeper Dejan Milosevic (DAY-yahn mee-LOH-seh-vitch), bounced on the ground and hit the middle of the far post. Milosevic started to push it out of the goal, but it was already whistled as a goal. The Bears’ lead didn’t last long, though, as AWC’s Charlie Vaquero kicked a centering shot from the far sideline into the box, where Joshua Atondo headed it past Phoenix goalkeeper (and ACCAC Goalkeeper of the Year) Adam Garcia to tie the score at 1-1 at 62:45 of the second half.
The 1-1 tie would remain the score at the end of regulation and each of the two 10-minute overtime periods, forcing the teams to penalty kicks to finally decide it. Each team alternated kicks at the north goal (with AWC kicking the first attempt and then each team alternating kicks after that), and each converted the first 5 penalty kicks. Finally, AWC’s Omar Soto began the sixth round of penalty kicks by putting the ball past Garcia into the right corner of the net. It was up to Phoenix’s Colby Liston to match it, but his kick was grabbed by Milosevic, thus giving the Mats a 6-5 edge on penalty kicks and a 2-1 overtime victory. The Bears’ historic season ends with an overall record of 15 wins (the most regular season wins ever by a Phoenix College Soccer team), 3 losses and 3 ties.
With the win, the Matadors increase their record-setting total for wins in a single season to 16, to go along with 4 losses and 2 ties. The Mats will now head to Prescott to face the Roughriders, a team they defeated for the first time ever last Saturday, 4-0, in the regular season finale at the AWC Soccer Field. The two teams split their season series, with the Roughriders beating AWC, 5-1, in late September in Prescott. The two teams have never met in postseason play. The Roughriders will be going for their 10th consecutive Region I title. Kickoff is scheduled for 6PM Halloween night (Saturday, October 31st) at Ken Lindley Field in Prescott with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament in Trenton, New Jersey beginning November 19th.
