By COREY MCMULLEN
The Aztecs’ soccer season came to an end in November, finishing with a 15-4-2 record (12-3-1 regular season) and being ranked sixth in the nation.
The Aztecs were bounced in the second round of the regional tournament by Arizona Western. The game came down to penalty kicks, where the Aztecs fell to Arizona Western 6-5.
Thinking the season was over for the Aztecs, the team received one of the four at large bids for the NJCAA Division I National tournament in Tyler, Texas. The Tournament started Nov. 18 and went through Nov. 23.
The Aztecs entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed. This was the Aztecs’ third straight year to the NJCAA tournament and their sixth appearance in nine years.
In their second-chance game, the Aztecs fell 1-0 to Eastern Florida State in double overtime. The Aztecs bounced back the next day with a 4-2 victor over Essex County College.
For the Aztecs’ season to continue, they needed Eastern Florida State to win or if Essex County won by 4 goals or more. Unfortunately for the Aztecs, the outcome didn’t go their way with Eastern Florida beating Essex County.
Sophomore goalkeeper Nils Roth described the season as a roller coaster. “We knew we had a lot of pressure coming back from winning the national champion.” Roth says.