Pima College’s men’s soccer team begins play for the NJCAA national title Tuesday in Prescott, and Hall of Fame coach Dave Cosgrove’s roster of 25 includes 24 players from Southern Arizona.
Pima doesn’t have international players, like the majority of the NJCAA’s 10 leading programs do. He doesn’t have dormitories in which to house players from afar.
He makes the best of what he can locally. And that “best” has been remarkable.
This year, Pima had the ACCAC’s Player of the Year, sophomore Arturo Vega from Salpointe Catholic. It is just the second time in Cosgrove’s 17 seasons that PCC has had the ACCAC Player of the Year.
“I coached Arturo when he was 13, in the Tucson Soccer Academy,” said Cosgrove. “I’ve tracked his entire career; he helped Salpointe win two state championships. He’s just fantastic. Every year he got a little bit better.”
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On the way to the NJCAA finals this week, Cosgrove did something special for his players. He planned to take them to the Grand Canyon this weekend.
“Even though most of them are from Tucson, many have never seen the Grand Canyon,” said Cosgrove. “It’s an educational opportunity. We don’t need to think about soccer 24/7. The entire process at Pima is more than just playing soccer.”
Well said.
Greg Hansen
Columnist
