The Cougar women fell 2-1 to the Thunderbirds while the men fell 1-0.
WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said that both teams played hard, but just fell short. He especially was pleased with how the women’s team played as the majority of them played with injuries.
“We came out expecting a battle and that is what we got from both teams,” he said. “On the women’s side, we came out, scored, and went up 1-0. I knew from the beginning it wasn’t going to be enough to win the game. Right now physically, we are beat up. We have a great deal of injuries on the team and it is injuries that will nag players for awhile. Until we get everyone healthy, we will continue to struggle a little bit.”
The women grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first half as Brittany McNeil scored in the 27th minute off an assist from Ashley Gleason. The Cougar women couldn’t hold the lead as the Thunderbirds scored in the 55th and 72nd minute to register the win.
The women were outshot 3-2 in the first half and 10-4 for the game. Rasnic said he has to commend the ladies for their willingness to fight through the end.
“I have to command the ladies because they have put up with a lot of my frustration and the nagging injuries that we have had,” he said. “They really battled hard. I take my hat off to them with the way they fight. We have not quit and that could be the thing that we need as we get closer to the end of the season.”
Rasnic said the men played one of its best matches of the season despite the loss. Cloud County features 26 international players out of the 31 on their roster.
“It was the best game we played all season and I also thought the weekend was really good,” he said. “They regrouped after the loss to LCCC. They came out with the desire and effort that I thought they would.”
Rasnic said the change in the style of play was a major difference in how his team played this weekend. WNCC defeated Pratt Community College on Saturday 3-2 in overtime.
“We changed our system to accommodate the players a little bit better and now we are in a position to move forward and be a bit more threatening in the middle and final third of the field,” he said. “We will take it a game at a time and see where we head. They seemed to have turned the corner and as long as we can stay healthy.”
Both teams battled to a 0-0 tie at intermission. Cloud County scored the only goal of the contest in the 61st minute for the win. The Thunderbirds out shot WNCC 8-3.
WNCC will return to action this weekend on the road. The men will face Otero Junior College in a Region IX contest on Saturday, before both teams face Dodge City Community College in Kansas.
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