It is not hard to see the look of confidence and excitement on the faces of the Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer players entering this weekend’s season opening matches in Great Bend, Kan.
The players know how much talent is littered on the squad, and that talent-laden team is anxiously looking on topping last year’s 10-win season. The Cougars will open the season Saturday against Barton County Community College followed by facing Hutchinson Community College Sunday.
“We are really excited to started,” freshman Shawna Michaelis of West Jordan, Utah, said. “We heard a lot of things about us being a stronger team then last year, so we are really hoping for some good things this year.”
Is this team better then last year’s 10-7-2 team? Sophomore Andrea Ardito, who was a key mid-fielder last year, thinks so and can‘t wait to get the season started for real.
“I think it will be fun to begin the season. We will play against some strong teams [this weekend],” she said. “The teams we will play have strong defense because the girls are fast and they are big. But I think we will be fine and have a good chance to win.”
The Cougar women enter Saturday’s contest against Barton County on a high after their 3-0 performance against Dana College in a scrimmage on Monday. In that contest, Keah Brost, Anna Jacoba and Ashley Quintana each netted goals for the Cougar women against the four-year school.
The team also performed well in a scrimmage against CSU-Pueblo, falling 2-1 to the four-year school.
“The first one we did fairly well,” Michaelis said. “We didn’t have set ups for some out of bound plays, but the second game we did really well. We played a lot better as a team. [In the scrimmages] we found some areas that we are really strong at and some we are weak in. We have a little bit of an idea of how good we will be this year.”
The Cougar women return nine players from a year ago with eight seeing plenty of action a year ago. Returning in net is Terri Huntington, of Bluffdale, Utah. The other goal keeper will be freshman Andrea Burger of Ft. Collins, Colo.
The other sophomores include Ardito, Maria Garcia, Claudia Gomez, Alisha Ropkin and Ashley Quintana of Aurora, Colo., Mara Crouch of Hillsdale, Mich., and LeeAnna Paxton and Jessica Arregiun of Greeley, Colo.
While these nine sophomores have one year under their belts of college soccer, the incoming freshmen are quickly making an impact on the team. That is good news for WNCC soccer fans.
“I think the girls are really interested in learning,” Ardito said. “And that is nice for the team because it helps us so we can play as a team and play together.”
Michaelis said that Jacobo and Paxton have really impressed her with their early season play.
Jacobo, a freshman from Aurora Central High School in Aurora, Colo., is a player that has been drawing plenty of attention from her teammates. Michaelis said Jacobo has a strong finish and will be counted on for a lot scoring. She also said that Paxton is the team’s playmaker from the mid-field area.
The freshmen do compliment the returners, giving the Cougar women plenty of depth and competition for positions.
Other freshmen that look to make an impact include Gering High graduates Keah Brost and Taylor Johns, as well as Scottsbluff High graduate Laura Abbott. Shaylee Williams, of Plain City, Utah, is also gaining praise. Williams is the cousin to Bre Perkes, Cougar soccer player the last two years.
Other freshmen include Jaime Gastelle, a mid-fielder from Ft. Collins, Colo., and Brooke Dudley a mid-fielder from Loveland, Colo.
And, after three weeks of 3-a-day practices, that included a 6 a.m. conditioning session, the players are anxious to get the season started for real, and get away from the “all-day” practice sessions. But, they realize, the regular season will feature some stiff competition, including taking on Region IX power Laramie County Community College, who has become a national power in just three years, which included finishing in the top five of last year’s national rankings.
WNCC will tangle with LCCC twice during the regular season -- Sept. 10 at Cheyenne and Sept. 30 at Scottsbluff.
After this weekend’s contests, WNCC will travel to Arizona next weekend to face Paradise Valley Community College and Phoenix College, before facing Butler County Community College Sept. 1 in Denver. WNCC’s first home contest is slated for Sept. 5 and 7 when they face Western Wyoming Community College and Iowa Western Community College.
But, to be successful this year and possible setting a school record for most wins a season, Michaelis and Ardito said they need to keep improving each and every game.
“We [can go to nationals] but we need to keep on improving and playing as a team and with everybody playing together,” Ardito said. “We should be fine.”
Michaelis said this team can put up the numbers from the 2003 inaugural team, which set a school record of 19 wins and came within one game of a trip to the national tournament.
“I think we will do really good,” she said. “Coach [Todd Rasnic] says if we really come together and we work as good as we can, then we can be unbeatable. It seems like it will be a good season.”
2008 Women’s Soccer Roster
Andrea Burger, freshman, Ft. Collins, Colo.; Terri Huntington, sophomore, Bluffdale, Utah; Maria Garcia, sophomore, Aurora, Colo.; Claudia Gomez, sophomore, Aurora, Colo.; Jessica Arreguin, sophomore, Greeley, Colo.; Jaime Gastelle, freshman, Ft. Collins, Colo.; Mara Crouch, sophomore, Hillsdale, Mich.; Shaylee Williams, fresh, Plain City, Utah; Alisha Ropkin, sophomore, Aurora, Colo,; Andrea Ardito, sophomore, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Ashley Quintana, sophomore, Aurora, Colo.; Shawna Michaelis, freshman, West Jordan, Utah; Keah Brost, freshman, Gering, Neb.; Taylor Johns, freshman, Gering, Neb.; Laura Abbott, freshman, Scottsbluff, Neb.; Brooke Dudley, freshman, Loveland, Colo.; LeeAnna Paxton, sophomore, Greeley, Colo.; and Anna Jacobo, freshman, Aurora, Colo.
No comments:
Post a Comment