By Jim Richards
With the second half of the season underway, the Cougars’ needed to turn things around in a hurry if they were going to secure a high position in the standings and one of six playoff spots in the parity laced ACCAC.
Wednesday marked the start of the second half of the ACCAC schedule and the Cougars started it off with a bang.
Goals by midfielder Luis Morfin and defender Luis Paez and a pair of assists from Jose Ramirez-Vasquez lifted the Cougars to a 2-0 victory over visiting Paradise Valley (6-4).
PVCC currently occupies the third position in the ACCAC standings behind No.2-ranked Yavapai and No.13 ranked Pima.
The Cougars (5-5) managed to shut down PVCC scoring machine Cesar Mexia, the conference’s top scorer (19 goals, 3 assists, 41 points), who is coming off the week in which he captured the ACCAC’s Player of the Week award by netting an amazing eight goals on eight shots over two games.
“This was crucial,” Cougars’ co-captain Efrain Morfin Jr. said. “We were coming off a couple of tough games.”
After Saturdays’ 5-2 loss to powerful Yavapai --SMCC’s fourth loss in succession that dropped its record to 4-5-- Cougar’s coach Mark Wilson pleaded with his club to cut down on mistakes and to play with intensity.
He also wanted his guys to find the back of the net a whole lot more often.
“It was just lack of scoring,” Wilson said of the losing streak in which the Cougars were outscored 19-5. “There has only been one game where we’ve been dominated and that was against Pima (an 8-0 Pima win). Everything else, we dominate. We just don’t score. With this game, it’s all about finishing.”
PVCC opened the season with a 4-2 victory over the Cougars, who then went on a four-game winning streak over the teams that are the next four on the schedule.
“We’re right behind (PVCC),” Wilson said. “ That win bumps us up and them down.”
The Cougars entered Wednesday’s play tied with Chandler-Gilbert and Phoenix College for fifth place behind PVCC and Mesa (6-3). They hope to sweep the season series Saturday at Scottsdale (1-8) at 7 p.m. and Wednesday at home against Phoenix College PC (4-5) at 3:30 p.m.