Except WNCC’s Austin Albers had different ideas. The freshman from Spearfish, S.D., changed the complexion of the match in a heartbeat by scoring the winning goal with under four minutes to play to give the Cougar men their third straight victory with a 1-0 win over Iowa Western at the Landers Complex.
“It was one of those well-timed runs where you get the space at the right time and the ball came across the field,” WNCC men’s soccer coach Todd Rasnic said. “We got fortunate. The game went back and forth, all match long.”
Both teams were locked into a knockout match until Albers amazing shot. Albers received the ball from Nikko Ouzounis and dribbled the ball to the left side of the net and then knocked the ball home with 3 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in regulation. Albers score was the only scoring the Cougars needed as Cougar goalkeeper Cesar Bazana like a brick wall in net for WNCC, recording six saves in getting his second straight shutout.
“Actually Iowa Western had some key opportunities in the first half that really could have put the game away,” Rasnic said. “Cesar Bazana came up big today. He did an outstanding job in the net. He actually saved the game for us.”
Iowa Western had three prime scoring opportunities in the first half as the Reivers controlled the tempo of the contest, frustrating the Cougar offense with their hard-nosed defense.
The second half was a different story. WNCC had the wind advantage and took advantage with keeping play mostly in their half of the field. Rasnic also said he made some offensive adjustments, which paid off.
“Having the wind in the second half for us was a good thing; however, the adjustments we made at halftime were much different then that,” he said. “We were not playing the ball well to the opposite side and switching in the first half. We did that better in the second half and we got more penetration.
“The number one thing in the second half was we started winning the 50/50 balls/ The first half they beat us to everything and the second half our guys came through and started to win some balls.”
WNCC had three early scoring opportunities in the second half. Austin Roy had a good shot on goal 13 minutes into the half that the pass just was out of his reach. Then, Albers had two scoring opportunities with just over 20 minutes to play. The second shot just sailed over the net.
Both team’s defense went into second gear as neither team had a good shot until with 8 minutes to play when Iowa Western had a free kick just outside the box. The shot went astray.
The turning in the point came with over four minutes to play when Iowa Western’s Daxton Beausoled was issued a red card, putting the Reivers down a player. A minute later, that is when Albers scored the winning goal.
Rasnic said that the Cougars’ late score might have been due to fatigue setting in on the Reivers late in the game.
“Iowa Western played [Saturday] and it is tough to play two days back-to-back at a full rate of speed,” he said. “I take my hat off to them, they did an excellent job today and we were fortunate to win. Toward the end of the match, some bad things happened and they ended up down a player and that helped us with an unfair advantage as well. They played the numbers really well and ended up scoring at the end of game.”
Iowa Western out shot the Cougars 6-1, while WNCC registered more corner kicks, 2-1, on the cold and windy Sunday afternoon.
“It was a win and the W’s count and that is what I like to see,” Rasnic said. “Whether it is 1-0, or whether it is not pretty, it doesn’t make any difference in the books. It is a W and that is what we were looking for.”
WNCC, 3-2, will be looking for its fourth straight win Wednesday when they travel to Cheyenne, Wyo., to face Laramie County Community College. The men’s contest begins at 2 p.m. with the women’s match starts at 4 p.m.
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