SMCC Men's Soccer Stays Busy with ACCAC Slate

PHOENIX ---

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the South Mountain Community College men's soccer team (2-11-2, 2-11-2 ACCAC) as they prepare for Sophomore Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, with a 9 a.m. match against Scottsdale CC. The Cougars suffered a pair of narrow 1-0 defeats to Chandler-Gilbert CC and Mesa CC, played to a 2-2 draw against Gateway CC, and performed admirably at home against nationally ranked opponents Pima CC and Phoenix College. 

SMCC fell 1-0 at Chandler-Gilbert CC on Oct. 5 when the Coyotes scored the contest's only goal in the 72nd minute. The Cougars outshot CGCC 11-7, with freshman Jhoan Soto and sophomore Kevin Urias firing five and four shots, respectively. In goal, freshman Manuel Lopez made five saves over the 90 minutes. 

A week later, MCC edged SMCC 1-0 on a goal in the 87th minute. SMCC had seven shots in the match, and Lopez made eight saves in goal. Soto led the Cougars with three shots in the loss. 

On Oct. 15, the Cougars returned home and lost 4-1 to No. 4 Pima CC. Sophomore Josh Marin scored in the 47th minute off an assist from Oscar Jimenez to draw the game level at 1-1. However, the Aztecs answered with three straight goals to secure the victory. Lopez made 11 stops in net, his third-most saves of the season. 

The Cougars played to a 2-2 draw with the Geckos on Oct. 19 in a match at Dobson High School. SMCC overcame an early GWCC goal behind a brace from freshman Kris Valenzuela, who scored in the 17th and 70th minutes.

However, the Geckos tied the match in the 81st off a corner kick. Freshman Oswaldo Rodriguez started the game for SMCC in goal and made three saves in the opening 45 minutes. Lopez played the second half and had four stops. 

Finally, the Cougars fell 4-0 to No. 2 Phoenix College on Oct. 22. Lopez made 12 stops in goal, his second-most of the season, including a pair of penalty kick saves. He now has 109 on the year, along with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .732 save percentage.