The Pima Community College men’s soccer team is heading back to the Region I, Division II Championship round as the Aztecs protected home field Friday in its game against Glendale.
·The No. 2 Aztecs (16-2) scored the first three goals of the game to beat No. 3 Glendale, 3-1.
The Aztecs have advanced to the Region I championship round in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
They also secured their second straight season of going undefeated at the West Campus Aztec Field for the first time in program history. They are 21-0 over the last two years.
Freshman Leonel Gutierrez (Salpointe) scored two goals and had one assist. Up 1-0, Gutierrez gave the Aztecs a cushion with his first goal in the 24th minute. Sophomore Nathan Flores had the assist.
Gutierrez made it 3-0 with his second goal that was assisted by sophomore Lae Soe in the 47th minute.
Sophomore Joost Hermeling put Pima on the scoreboard with his goal in the 13th minute as Gutierrez provided the assist inside the box.
“We knew that playing Glendale (9-4-2).was going to be a hard game. We have a lot of respect for them, they’re a great team,” Gutierrez said in a Pima press release. “We prepared all week for them. We knew it would be a physical game. We just had to stay disciplined and keep our heads in the game and don’t get too caught up with our emotions.”
The Aztecs were three minutes away from securing their 10th shutout, win but the Gauchos drew a foul in the box and Jordan Yesenski scored on a penalty kick.
“We knew we had to be more alert than them on the 50-50 (balls) and that’s what we did,” sophomore defender and midfielder Aldhair Valenzuela Rodriguez said about defensive strategy. “There was a lot of communication. The last game (against Glendale), that’s what we needed, and I think this game we fixed it.”
The Aztecs finished with seven shots on goal. Freshman Tommaso Leonardi finished with four saves.
“Tommaso and all of our keepers give a great performance. He (Tommaso) is a great guy, loves to play and has a lot of ambition. He’s a great goalkeeper,” Gutierrez said.
This will be the fifth time in six years the Aztecs and Phoenix College will meet for the Region I, Division II crown since Pima moved to Division II in 2020.
The game will take place at No. 1 seed Phoenix College on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LOSES OPENER
The Pima women’s basketball team opened the 2025-26 regular season on Friday as part of the Arizona Western Classic in Yuma.
The No. 2 Aztecs fell to No. 17 Arizona Western 71-58. Pima is a Division II program and Arizona Western is in Division I.
The Aztecs fell behind 19-11 after the first quarter and 37-23 at halftime. They outscored the Matadors 18-14 in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 51-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Pima shot 31 percent from the field (22 for 70) and struggled from 3-point range, going 5 for 27. Pima also was 9 for 20 (45 percent) from the free throw line.
Sophomore Kiley Sours-Miller and freshman Reigne Waugh each finished with 17 points, and each shot 7 for 15 from the field. Sours-Miller added eight rebounds, and Waugh had nine boards and four assists.
Freshman Lucy Fisher posted six points and nine rebounds while freshman Kahlia Gonzales contributed with seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
The Aztecs will be back on the road on Tuesday when they play at Yavapai College. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
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