WNCC soccer teams open preseason practices Tuesday with plenty of talent

 Western Nebraska Community College soccer coach Todd Rasnic was impressed with what he saw from his men’s and women’s team on Tuesday after the first practices of the season.

                “So far so good,” Rasnic said. “We have good numbers this year and it looks like we have players that are a little more technically skilled then what we had the past couple years. Obviously it is pretty early in the preseason to have any discussions further than that. The first day out, they did a nice job and they certainly worked hard and that is what I am looking for at this point.”

                But, what Rasnic loves about the two teams is the talent level that they process.

                “Both teams have good talent,” he said. “Right know we have a few players on both teams that come from lower elevations so it might take a couple weeks for them to get adjusted to the air here. We will see here as practices progress in the next couple weeks just how good the teams will be.”

                The Cougar men will have a roster of 25 players and the women will have 18 players and the two squads definitely have key players returning from last year.

The women’s team returns eight players from last year’s Region IX runner-up team, including the team’s top four leading scorers. They include Brittany McNeil, who chipped in 12 goals last season, and Kristi Blicharz, who had 10 goals, followed by Ashley Gleason and Leticia Lopes. Also returning for the Cougar women include Fernanda Acorinte, Quincy Jackson, Alex-Rachelle Tekler, and Tiffany Snethen.

                The men return nine players from a year ago, including a couple of the team’s leading scorers in Jose Netto and Manolo Garcia-Oronoz. The other six returning sophomores include Luis Tapia, Riley Mathis, Seedy Ali-Sarr, Jesus Alvarado, Corban Sipfle, Brian Ramirez, and Ricardo Marropulia.

                The Cougar men also recruited four former Nebraska high school players for the coming year. They include Gering’s Mason Nab, Joey Rasnic and Cody Thompson, and Lincoln Northeast’s Armando Lezamo.

                The major issue for the 43 players so far is the heat and humidity as they practice at the Landers Soccer Complex.

                “Obviously they will be battling the heat in the games as well as practice and we certainly want them to train in game situations,” Rasnic said. “So, they will have to come out and be in this heat for the next 17 days just to get used to playing in the heat when the season starts. We hope to get them well-versed in the art of hydration because it is real easy to get dehydrated out here.”

                WNCC will have several scrimmages before they open the season on Aug. 27. Both teams will have alumni scrimmages on Saturday with the women going at 10 a.m. and the men at 6 p.m. After that they will have scrimmages against Midland Lutheran College, Metro State and Regis University.

                The Cougar men will then open the season Aug. 27 when they travel to Cheyenne, Wyo., to face Northwest (Kan.) Tech before their home-opener Sept. 2 against Dodge City Community College.

                The Cougar women will wait until September to open the regular season when they host Dodge City Community College on Sept. 2 followed by Pratt Community College on Sept. 3.