Season overall a success as year ends for MCC soccer
By: Joe Jacquez
It is that time of year again T-Birds Soccer fans. The 2014 Men’s and Women’s soccer seasons have come to an end.
The Men’s season ended with a 4-1 loss to the Pima Community College Aztecs in the first round of the Region 1 Men’s Playoff Tournament.
Pima had 11 shots on goal compared with just six for Mesa. Goalie Carlos Becerra made five saves in the loss.
Pima got out to an early lead in the 32nd minute of the first half, and they never looked back, scoring three more goals in the second half for the win.
With the loss, the T-Birds finished the season with an 11-10 record.
Mesa finished No. 6 in the conference.
Despite the playoff loss, the T-Birds had a successful season.
Three players were named to the all-ACCAC squad.
Sophomore forward Ari Sanchez was named to the first team, freshman midfielder Brian Perea was named to the second team, and sophomore defender Danny Wichman was an honorable mention.
Sanchez was MCC’s leading goal-scorer this season with eight. He also had four assists. Sanchez proved his worth when it mattered most this season. He had two important game-winning goals against Scottsdale this season.
Perea led the T-Birds with 11 assists and had six goals for a team leading 23 points. He directed the offense, and did a great job setting up his teammates. He also had a game winning goal against Arizona Western, and he scored twice against Gateway.
Wichman was a consistent performer on defense all season long, and he started all 20 games.
This season was a step in the right direction for the T-Birds, but with any team there is always room for improvement.
Meanwhile, the Women’s soccer team ended in a 3-0 loss to Paradise Valley on the last day of the regular season.
The game was a must win for the T-Birds but in the end, the Pumas were too much. Mesa and Paradise Valley were locked in a defensive struggle. Mesa was used to this all season.
Within the first minute of the second half, the Pumas scored to take a 1-0 lead, and they stole the momentum.
Despite not making the playoffs, Mesa had one of their best seasons in a long time.
The lady T-Birds finished with a 9-6-5 record. It was the team’s best record since 2006. One thing to pay attention to is the five at the end of the team’s record.
They played five games that went to overtime. This certainly had a big impact.
Three lady T-Birds were named to the all-ACCAC team this season. Sophomore Goalie Danielle Torres made the first team, Sophomore midfielder Morgan Eddy was a second team selection, and Sophomore midfielder Hannah Kijowski was an honorable mention.
Torres finished the season with a 1.04 goals against average, and recorded six shutouts. She now has a career total of 10 shutouts.
Eddy was a first team choice a year ago as a freshman. She had two goals and three assists this season.
Kijowski was an important factor on MCC’s stellar defense that only allowed 24 goals all season in 20 games.
This season was one of the best in recent memory for the two teams that can be used for momentum in the next.
Both soccer teams had solid seasons. T-Birds soccer fans can look forward to the 2015 season.
