MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College Women’s Soccer is set to close out the inaugural regular season on the road against nationally ranked Arizona Western College on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The Bighorns will be playing Arizona Western for the second time this season, with that first matchup in September resulting in a loss for Mohave Community College. Arizona Western College is currently ranked No. 4 in the country in Division 1 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Mohave Community College Women’s Soccer will enter that game following a loss to Eastern Arizona College on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Women’s Head Coach Robert Podeyn described the match as one that was really separated into two games.
“The first game, or the first half, I think we were just overthinking in the moment,” he says. “We were working hard we just didn’t make the connection with them being very aggressive and needing the game to try and secure a second seed so they could host a playoff game. Even though we were prepared and looking to compete and win, we just hit a wall against a very good team.”
However, the second half was a different story.
“We adjusted and matched the intensity, playing with more urgency and aggression,” Podeyn says. “As a result, we made it competitive in the second half. We lost the second half 2-1, which was more indicative of what happened the first time we played Eastern Arizona College. I’m very proud of the ladies for how they responded in the second half.”
Overall, Podeyn says the Bighorns have learned a lot and improved throughout the season.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth, a lot of change, and now that we’ve been through a season once we have a good understanding of what we need to do and where we need to improve to be more competitive,” he says.
Now, they’ll take those lessons and improvements to Yuma as they battle one of the best teams in the country.
“They’re undefeated and have already won the conference by a couple of games,” Podeyn says. “We’re going to work on what we’ve worked on all season, play hard and have as much fun as we can.”
Stay up to date with Mohave Community College Women’s Soccer at athletics.mohave.edu and Instagram.com.
