The freshman from Windsor, Colo., avoided sending the match into overtime as he drove about a 35-foot shot into the wind to score with 1:27 left in regulation to give the Cougars the 1-0 win over Western Wyoming Community College at the Landers Soccer Complex.
“I am very happy with the win. It was my second goal of the season and it most importantly will boost my confidence,” Zigray said. “I am really happy that the game didn’t go into overtime.”
The win sends the Cougar men into the Region IX championship at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Landers Soccer Complex against Laramie County Community College. The WNCC and LCCC women will precede the men’s contest at noon in the women’s regional title contest.
WNCC coach Todd Rasnic was relieved that Zigray found the back of the net because he didn’t want to play any overtime.
“Mark is a player that when he makes mistakes, he never gives up until the very end of the match,” Rasnic, who was celebrating his birthday Friday, said. “I have to take my hat off to Mark, I have been on him from time and time, but he is always on the ball and looking for scoring opportunities. He did a great job today and got the goal when we needed it.”
In fact, Zigray gave Rasnic a perfect birthday present, the game winning goal and now the Cougars are one step away from a Region IX championship.
“We will have to be more focused on Sunday and do whatever it takes to win,” Zigray said. “Rasnic has never beaten Laramie County and it would be nice to get coach the first win [over LCCC].”
WNCC almost didn’t get the win, especially how they were playing in the first half. Rasnic said his team came out unbelievably flat.
“I can’t tell you how disappointed I was in the first half,” Rasnic said. “We couldn’t get our game going and we didn’t play organized. We had a pretty loud discussion at halftime because I didn’t think our guys came to win. They got motivated at halftime and decided to play the style of play that wins soccer games. They came back and did that, getting the late goal. Thank goodness because I didn’t want to go to an overtime. We were fortunate today. We can’t repeat any halves like that when we come up against Laramie County. We will work on it and I think we will come out more focused when we come out in the Region IX final on Sunday.
Zigray’s game winner was a beauty going into a stiff 35 mph wind. Zigray scored the goal after Steven Estrada’s pass deflected off a Mustang defender. Zigray found the ball and blasted the ball past Western Wyoming’s goalkeeper Shawn Coryell.
“Once I saw the deflection, I went to the ball immediately,” he said. “It was a good scoring opportunity and I finished it.”
The goal not only lifted the spirits of the Cougars, it put the Mustangs into a must-score opportunity. And, with over a minute to play and Western Wyoming shooting with the wind at their backs, they received one good shot on goal. WNCC’s goalkeeper Cesar Bazana, though, stopped the threat and the Cougars ran out the clock.
WNCC out-played Western Wyoming in both halves, holding possession of the ball for well over 60 minutes. What stood out was the team’s defense, which only allowed the Mustangs four shots, two of which were on goal. WNCC, however, had 16 shots and the majority of them were in the first half, when the Cougars balked on prime scoring chances.
Zigray said they didn’t come ready to play in the first half.
“Coach kept telling us at halftime to play harder against the wind,” he said. “The first half we thought we cold easily score.”
That wasn’t the case as WNCC had seven shots that could have been good, but the wind either blew them over the bar or the shots sailed just left or right of the net. The real big scoring threat came with 3:39 left in the first half when Edwin Matos fed Lazzaro Torres with a pass, which just missed.
In the second half, each team had two prime scoring chances. WNCC’s came with 26 and 18 minutes to play. The Mustangs came with seven and six minutes to play. In fact, the Mustangs’ shot with seven minutes left in regulation was at point-blank range, which sailed over the bar.
The winners of the two Region IX championship matches on Sunday will advance to the District playoffs the first week in November. The men’s winner will head to Overland Park, Kan., while the women’s champion will play in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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