Monroe Community College out of Rochester, N.Y., will venture to Scottsbluff to face the Cougars on Friday. Monroe comes into the season ranked No. 9 in the pre-season polls.
On top of playing one of the top teams in the nation, the Cougar men enter the season with a young team – 18 freshmen.
WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said his team, after three weeks of practice and two scrimmages, are embarking on the challenge with the nothing-to-lose attitude.
“I think they are ready to go,” Rasnic said. “We have been in preseason for 3 ½ of weeks now and we had a few contests in challenging us to play at a high level. I think the guys are on their way of becoming a stronger team.”
Last season the Cougars were one goal away from capturing the Region IX title, falling to Laramie County Community College 1-0 on a last-minute goal. This year, Rasnic has that same aspiration if not more. But the season hinges on the freshmen class.
“The issue for us right now is that we have 18 freshmen. We have a very young team,” he said. “The experience level of the players is good, but when you step in with a group of 18 freshmen there is a building process that has to take place.
“I think they are on their way of becoming a strong team and we will get a good test on Friday when we play the ninth ranked team in the nation. I think they will come out and be consistently strong like they always are. This is the first time we get to play them and we think it is awesome that they are coming here from New York. We are looking to see where we are at in comparison to the teams that are in the top 10 in the nation as well as giving us an ideal of what we need to build to be as strong as possibly be.”
The Cougar men return just five players from a year ago, led by this year’s captain Pedro Escobar from Las Vegas. Also returning include Chris Guadarrama of Gering, Marcel Sales of Brazil, Kevin Lopez of Aurora, Colo., and Miguel Leon of Puerto Rico.
Intermixing with the five sophomores is a talented freshmen class that includes eight players from Nebraska, including five Lexington High graduates. They include Harry Buerno, Brian Ramirez, Gil Avilez, Roberto Curdiel and Ricardo Marropuia. The other Nebraskans include Alex Ferreyra of Gering, Jesus Alvarado of Cozad, and Andrei Rodriquez of Imperial.
“We have several strong freshmen players and to pick one out of the group of being an exceptional player right now would not be a good thing at this point,” he said. “I think overall of the group of freshmen, 80 percent of that group are able to play at a high level. We can look for some high competitive play this season.”
Rasnic is looking for fierce Region IX play as two more colleges picked up men’s soccer – Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., and Otero Junior College. The Cougar men will have two more home games after Friday’s season opener before hitting the road. That includes a Sunday contest against Hesston Community College and then a Sept. 4 battle against Northwest Wyoming.
“As we start the season, I see a lot of promise in the guys. I think they are where they need to be for this time of the season,” Rasnic said. “I think we will finish strong as long as we continue to improve each game as the season goes along. Monroe has consistently been ranked in the top 10 over the past seven to eight years and we just need to come out and be consistent and put a lot of effort out. As long as we come out and do the best that we can, we will be satisfied and if nothing else, we have an idea of where we need to get to.”
2010 Men’s Soccer Roster
Pedro Escobar, 5-10, Las Vegas, Nev.; Marcel Sales, 5-8, Telemaco Borba, Brazil; Chris Guadarrama, 5-7, Gering; Kevin Lopez, 6-2, Aurora, Colo.; Miguel Leon, 5-6, Caracas, Venezuela; Jose Netto, 5-10, Taguantinga, Brazil; Nestor [Giovanni] Rico, 5-8, Longmont, Colo.; Manolo Garcia-Oronoz, 5-7, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; Luis Tapia, 5-9, Evanston, Wyo.; Corbin Sipfle, 5-7, Longmont, Colo.; David Mathis, 6-1, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Kurt Wilson, 5-3, Sturgis, S.D.; Alex Ferreyra, 5-10, Gering; Harry Buerno, 5-7, Lexington; Brian Ramirez, 5-6, Lexington; Gil Avilez, 5-10, Lexington; Christian Meyer, 5-7, Greeley, Colo.; Jesus Alvarado, 5-6, Cozad; Andrei Rodriquez, 5-7, Imperial; Roberto Curdiel, 6-1, Lexington; Ricardo Marropuia, 5-6, Lexington; Seedy Ali-Sarr, 5-9, Africa.
2010 Men’s Soccer Schedule
August
27 – Monroe Community College, 2 p.m.; 29 – Hesston Community College, 12 noon.
September
4 – Northwest Wyoming, 12 noon; 8 -- @ Laramie County Community College; 11 – vs. Pratt Community College in Hutchinson, Kan.; 12 -- @ Cloud County Community College; 18 -- @ Otero Junior College; 19 -- @ Dodge City Community College; 22 – Laramie County Community College, 2 p.m.; 24 -- @ Team be announced in Boulder, Colo.; 26 -- @ University of Colorado-Gold; 29 – Otero Junior College, 1 p.m.
October
2 – Western Wyoming Community College, 1 p.m.; 4 – Iowa Western Community College, 12 noon; 6 -- @ Northwest Wyoming; 16 -- @ Western Wyoming Community College; 17 -- @ North Idaho College in Rock Springs, Wyo.; 22-24 – Region IX Playoffs at Landers Soccer Complex.
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