DOUGLAS, Ariz. — The NJCAA Region 1 voting committee released their post-season awards yesterday afternoon, and three members of the Cochise Women’s Soccer team received honors for Division I. Sophomore standout Sabrina Amezcua and freshman Michelle Gomez were awarded NJCAA Region 1 First Team and Cochise head coach Santos Rangel was awarded Region 1 Coach of the Year.
Sabrina Amezcua, First Team All-Region
Amezcua completed her second and final season with Cochise on a historic run, as she was recognized for the second time as a First Team All-Region member. The sophomore forward scored 27 goals during the 2024 season, which was good enough for second in the nation in Division I. Amezcua also finished in the top 40 in the nation in assists (9) and game-winning goals (4). Amezcua is currently weighing her options with several offers from four-year universities to play soccer at the next level in 2025.
Michelle Gomez, First Team All-Region
Gomez finished her first season with Cochise scoring 11 goals with six assists. The freshman played in all 18 games for the Apaches and started in 14 of them. Gomez, from Cali, Colombia, will return for her sophomore season for Cochise in the Fall of 2025.
Santos Rangel, Region 1 Coach of the Year
Coach Rangel completed his first season as head coach of the Cochise Women’s Soccer team. The Apaches finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 11-4-3 and a conference record of 8-3-2 falling short in the Region 1 semifinal match to Eastern Arizona. Coach Rangel took over a program in July and recruited aggressively to maintain consistency of the roster from the previous season when he was assistant coach. Coach Rangel has already signed several recruits for the 2025 season and aims to bring in more local, state, and international talent to build on his first season.