(Bronx, NY) - Playing for the first time in 10 days, the Westchester Community College Men's Soccer team could ill-afford being rusty heading into a crucial Region XV tilt with a Bronx Community College team that has given the best that the region has to offer fits during an upstart 2018 season for the Broncos. Fortunately for WCC, freshman Wali Azizi (Buchanan, NY/Hendrick Hudson HS) and company were not going to let the long lay-off get the better of them. Azizi had one of the best games of his young career, registering three points, and fellow freshman Guilherme Griza (Novo Hamburgo-RS (Brazil) Colegio Marista Pio XII) notched his second shutout of the season with seven saves, as Westchester CC downed Bronx CC 2-0 on Tuesday at Bronx Community College. With the win, the Vikings improve to 6-2 overall, and 4-2 in Region XV play. 

WCC has now won three of its last four games.

Azizi put the Vikings ahead early, converting a passing play by William Morais (White Plains, NY/White Plains HS) and Luis Galeano (Mamaroneck, NY/Rye Nec HS) into his third goal of the season at 4:05 to make it 1-0 in favor of Westchester.

From there, the Viking defense - led by Griza and freshman Leonardo Vargas (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle HS) - locked the Broncos down and allowed very few opportunities. While Westchester out-shot Bronx CC by a slim 18-14 margin, most of the host's opportunities came from way outside.

Midway through the second half, WCC proved to be opportunistic. Off of a counter-attack, Azizi crossed a pass that Franco Ladron De Guevarra (White Plains, NY/White Plans HS) one-timed to the back of the net to make it 2-0 as Ladron De Guevarra scored his sixth goal of the year.

From there, the outcome was never in doubt thanks to another stellar defensive effort that has seen WCC allow one goal or fewer during seven of its eight games.

Up next for the Vikings are two huge away games that will go a long way to determine seeding for the upcoming Region XV Tournament. Up first is a trip to Suffolk Community College on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 4:00 p.m. Suffolk, the 2017 Region XV Champions who have won their last three games by a combined score of 28-1, is currently embedded in a four-way log-jam for second place in Region XV with Westchester, Monroe-Bronx, and BMCC. Thursday's game will all but lock up home game for the opening round of Region XV post-season play.