Mauricio Velazquez makes a play for the Bighorns. (Photo courtesy of MCC Faculty Beau Rogers)
MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College Men’s and Women’s Soccer continue working through their challenging schedules packed with some of the top teams in the country. That trend continues this weekend as both squads will host Arizona Western College at Bullhead City’s Firebird Field on Saturday, Sept. 28.
This weekend will be the last opportunity for fans to watch their Bighorns at home on a Saturday, as moving forward, the remaining home games at Firebird Field take place on Tuesdays. These last Saturday home games are sure to be exciting matchups for fans to watch, as Arizona Western College Men’s Soccer is currently ranked sixth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in Division I, while the Women’s Soccer program is currently ranked fifth.
“Arizona Western, they’re undefeated,” says Women’s Head Coach Robert Podeyn. “This is another team that’s Top 5 in the country, nationally ranked. We’re going to go out there and play as hard as we can, play with intensity and hopefully keep ourselves in the match to give ourselves a chance to get a result.”
Mohave Community College Women’s Soccer will enter Saturday’s game coming off a 2-0 loss to Phoenix College on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Phoenix College Women’s Soccer is the third-ranked team in the NJCAA in Division II. Mohave Community College Men’s Soccer lost 6-1 to Phoenix College, ranked second in the NJCAA in Division II.
“We worked hard,” Podeyn says. “Every game, I see us getting a little bit better, a little bit more aggressive and more used to the pace. Phoenix College is a very good team and is the fifth ranked team we’ve played on our schedule out of eight games. We keep playing these teams and we keep getting closer to them. We were in this game right until the end.”
Mohave Community College Men’s Soccer kicks off first at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at Firebird Field, followed by Mohave Community College Women’s Soccer at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
“I certainly hope we can get a ton of fans out for Saturday’s games for both the men and the women because we really love their support and really could use them cheering us on,” Podeyn says.
“We have a two-time national runner-up coming into town, ranked sixth in the country,” says Men’s Head Coach Camilo Valencia. “They’re a solid, solid team that knows how to win games with a very good coach. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, as always. To our fans, it’s the last opportunity to enjoy a Saturday game at home. Be ready for a rollercoaster and a good match.”
Stay up to date with Mohave Community College Men’s and Women’s Soccer at athletics.mohave.edu and Instagram.com.
