- SLCC men's soccer opened 2026 with a 3-0 home win over 13th-ranked Arizona Western on August 20 in Herriman. Esteban Fernandes scored from a free kick in the opening minute, and the Matadors managed two shots.
- SLCC Men's Soccer connect back to Salt Lake Community College and the wider soccer picture.
- The story is backed by 4 sources and a visible last-verified date.
August 20, 2026
September 24, 2026
4 min / 808 words
4 official links
Salt Lake Community College men's soccer opened its 2026 season on Thursday, August 20, by beating No. 13 Arizona Western College 3-0 at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman. The 16th-ranked Bruins scored in the opening minute, added a second goal midway through the second half and a third with three seconds left, according to SLCC's official recap.
It was the first regular-season match of the year for both teams. KYMA, the NBC affiliate in Yuma that covers Arizona Western, reported that the Matadors were held to two shots all night while SLCC put six on goal.
A goal in the opening minute
SLCC won a free kick at the start of the match, and centre back Esteban Fernandes put it into the top corner. KYMA's report says Arizona Western conceded "within the first few minutes of action" and never found a way back.
The second goal came from a quick read. Midway through the second half, Mekhi Haughton-Parris, whom SLCC's recap describes as a University of Kentucky transfer, won the ball inside midfield, saw the Arizona Western goalkeeper off his line and sent a shot over him. Matt Hagan scored the third with three seconds left on the clock.
Arizona Western goalkeeper Sebastian Belitrandi made three saves, according to KYMA.
A ranked opponent, held to two shots
Entering the week, the NJCAA ranking cited by both SLCC and KYMA had Arizona Western 13th and SLCC 16th. Beating a team ranked three places higher by three goals, at home, is a clear opening marker for a junior-college program that plays most of its season inside the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
The shot totals say the most about how the match went. Holding a ranked team to two attempts over a full match means SLCC's back line and goalkeeper were rarely tested, and the early goal meant Arizona Western spent the night chasing the game.
How SLCC arrived at the opener
The season did not start cold. SLCC's official schedule lists three August scrimmages against NCAA programs: at Utah Tech on August 8, at Colorado Mesa on August 12 and at Westminster on August 15. SLCC's recap says the Bruins won all three. Scrimmages do not count toward a team's record, so Arizona Western was the first result that counted.
The three scorers show how the roster is built. SLCC's 2026 roster lists Fernandes from St. Etienne, France, Haughton-Parris from Reading, England, and Hagan from Encinitas, California. Sixteen of the 29 players on that roster list hometowns outside the United States, and nine list Utah hometowns.
Utah players fill out the rest of the depth chart. Midfielder Taylor Kogan is from St. George and played at Dixie, forward Evan Beus is from Alpine, and all three goalkeepers on the roster are Utahns or Canadians: JC Sanchez of Riverton, Ariel Martinez of West Valley and Simo Kekic of Hamilton, Canada. Head coach Mark Davis leads the program, according to the roster page.
SLCC's schedule lists nine regular-season home dates at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman between August 20 and October 24, with the August 22 Casper match the exception, played in Murray.
The stretch ahead
The Bruins played again two days later. The official schedule listed No. 18 Casper College on Saturday, August 22, at 1:30 p.m. at the Murray Rugby/Soccer Field in Murray, followed by Northwest College on Thursday, August 27, back at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman.
Scenic West play begins in September with road trips to USU Eastern in Price on September 5 and Snow College in Ephraim on September 10. Both Utah rivals visit Herriman in October, USU Eastern on October 3 and Snow on October 15.
For SLCC, the opener did what an opener should: it put a ranked win on the record before the conference schedule began.
Key facts:
- Result: No. 16 SLCC 3, No. 13 Arizona Western 0, Thursday, August 20, 2026
- Venue: Zions Bank Training Center, Herriman (SLCC home match)
- Goals: Esteban Fernandes (free kick, opening minute), Mekhi Haughton-Parris (second half), Matt Hagan (three seconds left)
- Shots (KYMA): SLCC six on goal; Arizona Western two shots in total; Sebastian Belitrandi made three saves
- Preseason: SLCC's recap says the Bruins won August scrimmages against Utah Tech, Colorado Mesa and Westminster
- Next up: vs. No. 18 Casper College, Saturday, August 22, 1:30 p.m., Murray Rugby/Soccer Field
- Scenic West opener: at USU Eastern in Price, September 5
- Head coach: Mark Davis
*Correction, September 24, 2026: An earlier version of this article described the match as a road win and as Arizona Western's home opener. It was an SLCC home match in Herriman. The earlier version also dated the Northwest College match August 28 instead of August 27, named the wrong field in Murray and said SLCC had not published its goal scorers. The scorers are now included from SLCC's recap.*
