The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team will be aiming to repeat as regional champions and after the first day of practices on Monday, things are headed in that direction. For the men’s soccer team, they are looking to gain that regional title glory the women’s team bestowed upon themselves last season.
WNCC men’s and women’s soccer coach Todd Rasnic said that both teams are on the right track to doing great things this coming season.
“The recruiting class we brought in for both teams is pretty strong,” Rasnic said after watching the men’s and women’s team go through the first day of practice on Monday. “The first session is always tough to determine how good they will be, but I did notice that we seemed to have a higher work rate and very more intense then it was last year. That indicates we will be stronger on both the men and women.”
The women’s team finished last season with an 11-7-1 record and captured its second Region IX title in six years. Brooke Dudley of Ft. Collins, who is one of eight returners from last year’s team, is impressed with the talent on this year’s team after just one day of practice.
“I was actually excited to get out here and practice,” Dudley said. “It was like I get to play soccer again. All the new girls were kin
d of nervous and you could kind of see it, but everyone is happy to be here. There is a lot of optimism for the team.”
Dudley said the women’s team is quickly starting to take shape.
“Right now the talent is looking good and right now it is doing pretty well,” she said. “Honestly, the chemistry as a team is really strong. We are molding together just like last year and getting along without the drama. We are having beautiful flow on the field, and having that on and off the field is what is going to get us there.”
The men’s and women’s team will be going through three-a-days for the first two weeks. The first session is a 6 a.m. conditioning session followed by each squad going two 90-minute session during the day.
Dudley said the first day went as well as expected.
“It went really well. The girls are working really hard,” she said. “It is hot out here, but no one is complaining and doing their best. They are giving a good effort and we don’t have no complainers.”
Besides Dudley, the other returning players include Jessica Arreguin of Greeley, Colo.; Jaime Gastelle of Ft. Colllins, Colo.; Shawna Michaelis of West Jordan, Utah; Keah Brost and Taylor Johns of Gering; Ana Jacobo of Aurora, Colo.; and Laura Abbott of Scottsbluff.
The biggest shore for the Cougar women is trying to find a replacement for Terri Huntington, who was a 2-year starter and Region IX all-American last season. Rasnic said there are two candidates that will fill in nicely. They include Tiffany Snethen of Rapid City, S.D., who played for the Rushmore Soccer Club, and Jessica Taylor of Skyline High in Longmont, Colo.
Other freshmen on the women’s team include Ashley Heimbouch and Jacee Roseberry of Gering; Jordan Lutkin of Greeley, Colo.; Brittany McNiel of Milliken, Colo.; Lyanne Hernandez of Lafeyette, Colo.; Miriam Alfaro of Denver, Colo.; Cristina Soto of Longmont, Colo.; and Jimena Jimenez.
The men also have a good mix of returning and incoming newcomers.
Returning for the men’s squad include David Castillo of Aurora, Colo.; Ryan Dawson of Front Royal, Virg.; Matt Hoffman of Severance, Colo.; Josh Ivey of York; Gustavo Rincon of Caracas, Venzuela; Tony Rocha of Chihuahua, Mexico; Luis Anaya of Aurora, Colo.; Raul Sanchez of Alliance; and Nathaniel Southard of North Platte.
The newcomers to the program include Chris Guadarama of Gering; Josh Kinney of Scottsbluff; Pedro DeLeon of Las Vegas, Nev.; Jose Macias of Aurora, Colo.; Casey Zigray of Ft. Collins, Colo.; Kareem Hernadez of Lafeyette, Colo.; Miguel Leon of Caracas, Venezuela; Kevin Lopez of Denver, Colo.; Marcel Sales of Brazil; and Luis Orta of Goeyana, Venezuela.
“I think with the level of players that we have on both teams, [being competitive] is certainly a goal we can set our sights on,” Rasnic said. “The rest will have to wait and see. We will see how our bodies hold up type of injuries we will come up with before we get into the season and that will tell where we are headed.”
Rocha, however, is excited for the men’s season as they hope to bring home a regional title. Last season, the Cougar men finished with a 7-8-1 record and lost in the first round of the regional playoffs to Western Wyoming Community College.
“We have a group of pretty talented guys,” the sophomore said. “We have some international guys that are pretty good and we have some local guys that are just really good. Hopefully, this year we are going to be in the newspaper a lot with good comments.”
Rocha said that after the first day, which was mainly a way to get everyone on the same page, he sees plenty of potential. The offense is really standing out, he said.
“It is hard to tell right now because this is only the first day of practice, but our offense is looking really good; better than last year,” he said. “We have a lot more speed than last year. The defense also looks pretty strong and we are going to have a pretty good team this year.”
Rasnic, however, doesn’t like to make predictions of the season, but is hopeful of seeing two strong teams that will compete for regional and national attention.
“As far as any thoughts of how the team will be, we will have to wait and see as the pre-season develops,” he said. “With us just bringing in players that have that high work rate [as we saw in the first day of practice] is very helpful and creating something special. That is what we are trying to create this year. We are trying to get a group of men and women together that can compete well and have a chance of winning the regional tournament.”
The team will go through the intense practice schedule six days a week with a rest day on Sundays. The teams will have an inter-squad contest on Saturday afternoon before having a scrimmage on Aug. 14 against Metro State College and Colorado State-Pueblo in Denver. The men will then scrimmage Midland College on Aug. 17. The men and women will open the season with a home match against Dodge City Community College on Sunday, Aug. 22 at the Lander’s Soccer Complex.
Rocha is excited for the coming season.
“The first day was hard but I think this group will come together this year,” he said. “We are going through three-a-days, which is pretty tough. But this is soccer and we are all about playing soccer. We like to be here, so we will get used to that. There are very high expectations and we are committed to win this year.”
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