REGION I SOCCER FINALS PREVIEW: (10) AWC at (6) Yavapai
Match starts: 6 p.m. today, Ken Lindley Field
Last game: No. 3 seed AWC beat No. 2 seed Phoenix 2-1 on Thursday after a 6-5 penalty kick session to advance to its first-ever title match. No. 1 seed Yavapai beat No. 4 seed Pima 2-1 on Thursday in Prescott, scoring the winning goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
Records: AWC (16-4-2 overall, 16-4-2 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference); Yavapai (17-4, 17-4 ACCAC)
Players to watch: Matador sophomore and conference Player of the Year Bello Alhassan had a goal and an assist in AWC's 4-0 victory against the Roughriders last Saturday. ... Roughrider forward David Malloy won the conference scoring title with 21 goals and eight assists.
AWC coach Kenny Dale's comments: "There's only one favorite when you play at Yavapai, and this should be no exception. But I'm confident in our players no matter what and I'm confident that we'll play well, and I'm confident Yavapai will play well. ...We had 30 or 40 fans drive down to Phoenix and they lifted us, and we'll have at least some of them in Prescott. There were some Matador Athletic Association fans who are normally there for basketball but not for soccer, and they were great and our guys were excited."
The lowdown: With two championship-caliber teams headed into today's Region I Final, the only shame is that one team will not be able to advance to the NJCAA Tournament in Trenton, N.J., beginning Nov. 19. A week ago AWC celebrated the program's first win against Yavapai in 42 attempts, which should serve as a source of confidence for the Matadors. At the same time, the 4-0 thumping will be ample motivation for the Roughriders. ...While recent history is on AWC's side, the previous 20 years favor Yavapai, which is hosting its 20th title match and seeking Region I title No. 19. It is however, the first-ever postseason meeting between the two teams. ...The Matadors have won their last 10 matches and have not yet lost in October, while the Roughriders have not lost at home all season. ...Thursday's match was the Matadors' first road trip since Oct. 3, but they boast a 7-3-1 record on the season includes a double-forfeit and a 5-1 loss at Prescott when 16 of its players were serving a suspension. ...AWC midfielders Wally Vasquez (knee) and Abraham Villon (hamstring) each saw action in the semifinal, but Luis Leyva will likely get his third straight postseason start. "Leyva was phenomenal (Thursday), and he'll be even more phenomenal against Yavapai because it will be a more tactical game than the physical kind Phoenix played," Dale said. AWC forward Randy Folgar is out for the remainder of the season after receiving his second red-card ejection in last week's Yavapai game. ...This is the first season in more than 20 years that Yavapai has suffered four losses. The defending national champions' 4-0 loss to AWC last week was also the largest margin of defeat in that time period.
