Oct. 17, 2011 -- The Western Nebraska Community College men’s soccer team is entering this week’s Region IX playoffs with a better feel of the season after winning two of their last three matches.
WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said that it has taken the team awhile to realize what it takes to win, but they finally have the feel. And, they will need to play at the high level Wednesday when they travel to Rock Springs, Wyo., to face Western Wyoming Community College in the first round of the Region IX playoffs. WNCC enters as the No. 5 seed while Western Wyoming is the No. 4 seed. The Cougars own a 7-8-1 record, while Western Wyoming sets at 10-8.
The other first-round contest on Wednesday pits No. 6 Northeastern Junior College at No. 3 Northwest College. The winners advance to play either No. 1 Otero Junior College or No. 2 Laramie County Community College Friday at Rock Springs. The lower of the winners on Wednesday will meet Otero while the other gets LCCC.
“I think they are ready. I talked to them after the game when we played Western Wyoming on Saturday,” Rasnic said. “We came out with a win in that game and it was a pretty convincing win although the score reflected a 3-2 finish. I thought we dominated all of the play.
“By biggest concern with the guys is that we started putting this all together late in the game. I am hoping we have moved in the right direction quick enough to finish out the year strong. If you continue to get better as the season goes along your chances increase and I think we have as good of a chance to any of the Region IX teams of winning the playoffs. But I think we need to continue on a positive track that the guys have been on. If they slip at any juncture they will be out. They will need to be completely focused as we move forward here in the quarterfinals.”
WNCC split it’s contests with Western Wyoming this season, both in offensive fashion. The Cougars fell 6-5 in double overtime at their place on Sept. 24 but came back to drop the Mustangs 3-2 on Saturday. The Cougars have started to find their mark the last three games having defeated NJC 7-1 on Oct. 5 before losing in a competitive fashion to Otero 3-0 on a windy and cold day at the Landers Soccer Complex.
Rasnic is hoping his team has hit their stride in making a deep run in the playoffs. The key he said is to stay focused.
“We will continue to hope that it is not a bit too late to start moving in that forward direction,” he said. “As a coaching staff, we will remain positive and continue to push these guys as good as they can be as they enter the playoffs. Hopefully the results will go our way.”
The main focus is getting across the fact that one loss and the season is over. That is why it is crucial for the team to play together as one.
“When it is a single elimination tournament, everything you do matters,” he said. “We are going to focus on having that attitude as we move on, understanding whatever we do from here on out matters. That is what is carrying us into post-season play. One thing that I have learned over the past couple weeks with the guys is that this team does have good resolve. Once they make a decision that they are going to be a strong team, they play well.”
The Cougars have two of the top six point scorers in the region this season. Sophomore Jose Netto has accumulated 28 points including 12 goals and four assists. Right behind Netto is freshman Baboucarr Sarr with 23 points 10 goals and three assists.
Erwin Sanchez and Jacob Santos are also among the leaders in points in the region. Sanchez has 27 points, including seven goals, while Santos had 16 points and six goals.
Laramie County’s Gleydson Neri leads the region with 36 points (16 goals and four assists) followed by Northwest College’s Leonardo Mederios with 32 points (14 goals and four assists).
On the defensive end, WNCC goalkeepers Joey Rasnic and Jesus Alvarado are among the top six in the region. Rasnic is ranked third with 52 saves on the season in 720 minutes, while Alvarado has 32 saves in 720 minutes.
Otero’s Ernesto Soto is top goalkeeper in the region with 28 saves while allowing .89 goals a game. Northwest College’s Cameron Stanek is second with 58 saves for a 1.38 goal against average. Joey Rasnic is giving up 2.4 goals a game while Alvarado is giving up 1.5 goals a game.
Rasnic said that while his team’s offense has been solid all season, it is the defense that has picked up late.
“We certainly have put our best foot forward offensively,” he said. “As the season went along, and as one saw in the last few games, the defense has stepped up to the challenge. That, coupled with the fact that we have played the teams a couple of times and knowing how they play and what to look for offensively, puts us in a better position to start to win games in a consistent way if the gentleman show up to play. That will be the key all week.”
The winner of the Region IX playoffs will qualify for the district playoffs the first weekend in November in
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