GREAT BEND, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College men's and women's soccer teams were shut out in contests Sunday against Barton County Community College.

The women, after opening the season on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Pratt Community College, opened up a tight match late by running to the 4-0 win. The Cougar men fell behind in the first half to the Barton Cougars and never got untracked in falling 6-0 in temperatures that reached above 102 degrees on the artificial turf.

The Cougar women played a strong first half against Barton as each team entered halftime tied at 0-0. Both teams continued playing well to start the second half before Barton finally broke the scoring drought with a goal by Mariana Poveda in the 62nd minutes.

Barton recorded its second goal nine minutes later as Bianca Barron scored to put the Cougars up 2-0. Barton added two more goals, the first coming in the 81st minute off a goal by Katelyn James and then in the 86th minute off a goal by Emily Troll.

Barton outshot the Cougars 18-5 with eight being on goal. Most of Barton's shots came in the second half, where they had 15 shots. Ari Herrera, who had the winning goal on Saturday, led WNCC with two shots toward the goal.

Katie Peterson recorded four saves in net for the Cougars. Barton also had a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks.

The men's game was a heated battle and it wasn't just the sizzling temperatures. The two squads combined for 26 shots as well as six yellow cards.

Neither team could find the back of the net early on until Barton's Mariano Gelso found the net with 21 minutes gone in the game. Barton went up 2-0 with a goal at the 36th minute by Jovanny Bonilla. That is where it stood at halftime.

Barton added a third goal 15 minutes into the second half as Diogo Quirino scored for the 3-0 lead. The Barton Cougars finished off the scoring with three goals in an eight minute time spam. Ebu Carnara had back-to-back goals in the 81st and the 87th minutes.

Sam McCrillis finished off the scoring by finding the back of the net in the final minute of the game.

Barton outshot the Cougars 18-8, including 10 on goal. WNCC was led by Adhemar Lino's two shots.

Joey Rasnic took the loss in net for Barton, making four saves. Barton also held a 7-4 corner kick advantage.

The Cougar men and women will be back in action Saturday when they host Northwest Kansas Technical College at the Landers Soccer Complex. The women kick off at 1 p.m. followed by the men at 3 p.m.

WNCC women drop Pratt 2-1, Cougar men fall 3-1

               GREAT BEND, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College soccer teams split a matches against Pratt Community College on Saturday in Great Bend, Kan.

               The Cougar women got a penalty kick from Ari Herrera with  a minute to play to trip up Pratt 2-1 in the Cougars season opener. The men weren't as fortunate falling to Pratt 3-1 despite dominating on shots on goal 14-8.

               WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said his women's team, which played without three players because of injuries, played extremely well in dominating action. The Cougars outshot Pratt 17-2.

               "We dominated them and the score didn't reflect the score of the game," he said. "We completely out controlled them. We held possession of the ball about 80 percent of the game."

               The Cougars got on the scoreboard board first as Herrera and Dani Copsey teamed up for the assist as Gering's Chanice Blanco found the back of the net in the 23rd minute.

               Pratt came back to tie the match at 1-1 with a score by Holly Harrod in the 29th minutes. That is where the game stayed until late in the game.

               With a minute left, Herrera, the sophomore from Grand Junction, Colo., went one on one and beat the Pratt defender before she was tripped in the box. Herrera then put in the penalty kick left of the goal keeper for the go-ahead goal.

               WNCC finished with 17 shots on goal, including nine on frame. Pratt managed just one shot on goal in each half. Katie Peterson, a freshman from Loveland, Colo., was in net for the Cougars making one save. Peterson, who usually serves as a defender, was called into duty after starting goalkeeper Bailey Wenz and back-up Patty Slyvester were both sidelined with injuries.

               The Cougar men had a rough day on the pitch. The Cougars dominated play, out-shooting Pratt 18-9, including 14 shots on frame. But the Cougars managed just one goal.

               Pratt struck first, netting two goals within a minute time frame. The first goal came in the 21st minute and then the second goal game in the 22nd minute. Both of Pratt's goals came on defensive breakdowns.

               WNCC sliced the lead in half with a goal in the 26th minute when Adhemor Lino scored off an assist from Cody Thompson to put the score at 2-1 going into half.

               Pratt added an insurance goal two minutes into the second half as Pratt scored off a free kick.

               Rasnic said they played well except scoring.

               "Basically we did everything right  in the game but finish the ball," he said. "We had zero luck today. We dominated them. FIve of their shots on goal came in the first five minutes and after that we settled down."

               Rasnic said his team also played much of the game short-handed after one of his players got a red card. Then, with 12 minutes left, both teams went back to equal as one of Pratt's players was red carded.

               Both squads will be back in action Sunday when they face Barton Community College. The women play at 11 a.m. followed by the men at 1 p.m. in Great Bend, Kan. After that, the Cougars return home for their home opener on Saturday against Northwest Kansas Technical College beginning at 1 p.m. at the Landers Soccer Complex.

               "I was encouraged with how we possessed the game, but discouraged of how we finished," Rasnic said. "We need to change that for today's game or we will get beat against Barton."

WNCC volleyball slits in day two of Salt Lake tourney

               SALT LAKE CITY -- After upending two top 10 teams on Friday in the Salt Lake tournament, the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday.

               The Cougars fell to undefeated North Idaho College 19-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 before sweeping over Snow College 25-23, 25-17, 26-24 to finish the tournament at 3-1.North Idaho went 4-0 in the tournament, after beating Western Wyoming and Northeastern Junior College on Friday and Central Wyoming on Saturday.

               The Cougars, 7-2, received some outstanding performance, but just fell short on the scoreboard in the loss to No. 12 North Idaho. Danika Youngblood paced the team with a double-double of 15 kills and 18 digs. Also collecting double-figure kills was Yoro Tovar with 16 kills.

               Also for the Cougars, Kat Agson had two kills; Priscila Mendes had six kills and 14 digs; Megan Johnson had eight kills; Luiza Martins had two kills, nine digs and 48 set assists; Lauren Knoz with three kills; Tasha Meyer with four digs; and Alex Rivera with 26 digs.

               WNCC was a little sharper against Snow College in sweeping to the win. Youngblood continued to impress on the young season, finishing with another double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs. No other Cougar had double figure kills.

               Johnson was next in line with eight kills. Johnson also tallied three blocks and two digs. Agson finished with seven kills, two blocks and two digs; Mendes had three kills and 10 digs; Tovar had three kills; Rivera had 16 digs; Martins had three kills, three blocks, five digs and 33 set assists; Taylor VanderWerff had two blocks; and Tasha Meyer had 11 digs.

               The Cougars will return to action next weekend when they head to Twin Falls, Idaho, to compete in the Starr Corporation Invite on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho tournament.

WNCC volleyball drops No. 1 CSI, No. 7 Salt Lake in tourney

               SALT LAKE CITY – Danika Youngblood tallied 42 kills in two matches and the No. 6 Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team upended No. 1 College of Southern Idaho and No. 7 Salt Lake Community College to open the Salt Lake tournament on Friday.

               The Cougars received a 22-kill performance from Youngblood in the team's win against Southern Idaho in dropping the Golden Eagles 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22. Youngblood then pounded home 20 kills in the team's five-set win against the host team 25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 16-25, 15-11.

               WNCC coach Giovana Melo said both were big victories. She said in the CSI match, a line-up change in the fourth game was a huge lift for the Cougars. The fourth set saw huge kills from Allora Tanner and Lauren Knox. The freshmen finished with eight and six kills respectively.

               "The CSI win was big for our confidence. We played pretty well, but we were also up and down in sets three and four," We made a couple changes and the team came back and stayed the same level. I thought Lauren and Allora did a nice job coming in. The first two sets with Priscila and Kat, they were playing well but I thought the team need a change, some energy and CSI was starting to pick up what Priscila and Kat were doing. i felt it was a good time to bring them and make a little bit of a change in the lineup."

               Even in the third set where they lost, the Cougars fought back. They were down 8-3 at one time and came back to almost capture the win. In that game, however, Luiza Martins and Alex Rivera collided and Martins was a little dizzy. Melo said Morgan Broussard came in and keep the energy level at that high level.

               "There were a couple things that happened, one being Luiza hitting her head against Alex and Luiza was a little dizzy," Melo said. "We kept playing with her on the floor for a while before we had to get her out and Morgan came in and kept the game on the same level. We picked up our energy and we were able to come back but it wasn't enough to win that set. But it gave them a little bit momentum going into the fourth set."

The Western Nebraska Community College received a 22-kill performance from Danika Youngblood the No. 6 Cougars upended the pre-season No. 1 College of Southern Idaho in four sets to open the Salt Lake Community College tournament on Friday.

               Youngblood led the team with 22 kills and 19 digs. Also coming on strong for the Cougars was Tanner who finished with eight kills and two blocks, while Knox had six kills and five digs. Also for the Cougars, Kat Agson had five kills, two blocks and two digs; Priscila Mendes had four kills and 18 digs; Yoro Tovar had two kills and six blocks; Martins had 41 set assists and eight digs; Megan Johnson had three kills; Broussard had two set assists and a dig; Rivera had 21 digs; and Tasha Meyer had five digs.

               WNCC kept the energy high in the match against Salt Lake in winning in five thrilling sets. Melo said that while they didn't play well all the way through, they did play well when they had to.

               "We were up and down against Salt Lake and the win shows a lot things about the girls that they focused on what they had to do to pull it out at the end," Melo said. "These two wins are good for us despite us actually not playing our best game to our highest ability. Still, we are beating some really good teams and that says a lot. We have a lot of depth on our team. We just kept chipping away and getting a little bit better every day."

               The big reason for the win was how the team stayed more consistent with their serving.

               "We took a couple more risks on our serves as well as we were able to pass a little bit better," Melo said. "That is the areas we struggled in the first four sets and in the fifth set were able to get back to playing the way we know how. We are a really good team when we make those passes."

               Youngblood led the team with 20 kills and nine digs followed by Agson with seven kills and Knox with eight kill, three digs, and two aces. Also for the Cougars, Mendes had four kills and 10 digs; Tover had three kills, four blocks and four digs; Johnson had three kills; Martins had six digs and 44 set assists; Rivera had three aces and 27 digs, and Meyer ahd three digs.

               WNCC, 6-1, will continue play in the Saturday when they face North Idaho at 9 a.m. and Snow College at 1 p.m.

WNCC volleyball looking for ball girls for home volleyball matches

               Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo is looking for middle school and junior high girls that would like to serve as ball handlers for the upcoming volleyball season.

               The Cougars have 12 home matches this season (10 dates). Melo said she would like three to five girls to help shag and retrieve balls to give to the servers during the matches. The ball girls will receive a T-shirt and admission to the game.

               WNCC’s first home game will be Tuesday, Sept. 11 when they face Eastern Wyoming College at 7 p.m. The other home matches included Western Wyoming Community College on Sept. 20, two matches each on Sept. 21 and 22, Sept. 25 against McCook Community College, Sept. 27 against Otero Junior College, Sept. 28 against Lamar Community College, Sept. 29 against Trinidad State Junior College, Oct. 19 against Northeastern Junior College, and Oct. 20 against Casper College.

               Any girls in grades 6-9 that would like be a part of the upcoming home games should have their parents contact Melo at 308-635-6028 or at melog@wncc.net.

WNCC women's soccer opens up against Pratt on Saturday

               The Western Nebraska Community College women's soccer team return just six players from last year's squad while they welcome a dozen newcomers as the Cougars prepare for their season opener on Saturday against Pratt Community College in Great Bend, Kan.

               What the Cougars lack in experience, they make up in talent. The problem is, however, they are battling the injury bug. Still WNCC women's coach Todd Rasnic sees some bright things going their way as they venture their season.

               "We have struggled the early season  with nagging injuries and some of those players are key players," Rasnic said. "We are hoping we can hit the ground running this weekend and we certainly are making strides to make sure that happens. We have some work to do to make sure we are performing at the level that is expected out of our region, but I think we can get there. The women's team has turned a corner and they are ready to put their nose in a grindstone and get to work."

               Rasnic still believes that this women's team can make a run to a regional title if everything falls into place.

               "This year we have a a good group of players for a well-rounded team," he said. "The biggest issue we have is not the play of the talented players, but the health of the players. Most of the good that we had in pre-season is a result of just playing good team soccer. I think all the ladies have stepped in and gone into some difficult situations. I don't have a 30-goal forward and I don't have anyone just standing out above the crowd, but I do have a lot of hard-working and team oriented individuals.

               The Cougars' six returners include Ashley Baker and Kelsey Newby of Centennial, Colo.; Ariana Herrera of Grand Junction, Colo.; Bailey Wenz of Gillette, Wyo.; Breanna Smith of Longmont, Colo.; and Laura James of Castle Rock, Colo.

               The Cougars also have a sophomore transfer in Kortney Mitchell of Still, Colo. Another transfer is Chanice Blanco of Gering, who transferred from Nebraska-Kearney.

               The freshmen class have plenty of soccer skills. Leading off the newcomers are three local players in Caitlyn Cummings of Torrington, Wyo.; Dani Copsey of Gering; and Megan Patrick of Scottsbluff.

               The other freshmen include Anna Rinaldi of Lafayette, Colo.; Yoanna Arellano and Raquel Flores of Aurora, Colo.; Clara Heimich of Germany; Brianna Baumann of Spearfish, S.D.; Patty Sylvester and Katie Peterson of Loveland, Colo.

               The Cougars will face a rigorous schedule this season, loaded with plenty of back-to-back contests on weekends. After Saturday's season opener, the Cougars will battle Barton Community College on Sunday before returning home to host Northwest Kansas Technical College on Sept. 8.

               "Both squads that we play this weekend always improve during the season," Rasnic said. "The Barton team has been in contention for the Region 6 title every year and have been nationally ranked many times. They will be a very formidable foe. We will really have to play well to compete in that match to come back with a victory. I have no doubts they can do it. We have a team that when we are all healthy enough on the field, the sky's the limit for their capabilities."