Cougar notes: WNCC men’s soccer looking to make history

                Last year the men’s soccer team managed just four wins on the season before falling in the quarterfinals of the Region IX tournament.  

                This year, the outlook for the Cougar men is to claim a regional title. But, the players know to do that, they have to accomplish that feat in steps. 

                “Our first goal it being Region IX champions,” sophomore Sebastian Arenas of Manizales Colombia, said. “But we know we have to go step-by-step.” 

                That goal started last week when the team reported for pre-season practices and the 26-man roster has been working hard to get ready for the season that officially begins August 19 against Iowa Lakes Community College in Sterling, Colorado. 

                “The practices are going well,” Arenas said. “We are putting in a lot of effort. The team has a goal and everyone wants to reach it. We are practicing a lot in order to create a good environment in the team, so we can show our potential.” 

                The Cougars lost some key players from a year ago, but return seven players from a year ago. Besides Arenas, the Cougars return starting goalkeeper Hernan Burdiles from Santiago, Chile. Other returners include Samuel Acosta also from Manizales, Colombia, Adolfo Rojas and Luis Escobar both from Aurora, Colorado, Pablo Dominguez from Madrid Spain, and Pedro Roche from Ponce, Puerto Rico. 

                The freshmen on the team are talented and all the players are battling in practice for playing time. The newcomers include Scottsbluff’s Eduardo Sena, Lexington’s Kenny Morales, and Kearney’s Jhordy Solares. 

                Other newcomers include four from Miami, Florida, in Luis Terreros, Michael Escobar, Isrrael Rodriquez, and Roberto Rivero. 

                The other players are all international including players from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Colombia, Gambia, Belgium, and Argentina. 

                Those players are Felipe Alvarez De Araya and Lucas Ovalle from Chile; Joao Bisneto, Joao Menezes, Eduardo Oliveira, and Guilherme Lindolfo from Brazil; Alex Carrillo from Ecuador; Paul Denz from Germany; Simon Echeverry from Colombia; Abdoulie Fatty from Gambia; Maxime Niyibaho from Belgium, and Jeronimo Zelaya Diaz from Argentina. 

                Arenas said there is plenty of talent on this team and they are working hard to put a good product on the field. The soccer fans can see the product on Saturday when the women and men will play the alumni at Landers Soccer Complex with the men going at 3 p.m. after the women’s game at 1 p.m. 

                “As I said before, we have a really good team, our coaching staff is trying to make us improve every day,” Arenas said. “We are creating connections that can help us with games and be successful.” 

                Arenas added that not only him, but the entire team is working hard in the weight room and on the field. 

                “I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this team,” he said. “Everyone from the freshmen to the sophomores have been putting in loads of hard work and have been really dedicated this pre-season to get a step closer to our dream of reaching the national tournament.” 

                The connection that they are making is something the players are hoping to carry to success, including a regional title. The last time the Cougars won the Region IX title was 20 years ago back in 2003. 

                “We have a lot of players in different positions, all of them with wonderful abilities,” Arenas said. “The intensity in the practices is high and we are working on our weaknesses. Everyone has a lot of expectations, and we want to make history this year.” 

WNCC soccer teams young, will have alumni scrimmage Saturday 

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team will be young, but with plenty of talent after graduating nine sophomores from a team that went 7-7 a year ago. 

                This year, the Cougar women have four returners that saw plenty of action along with a good group of incoming freshmen to aim for a 10-win season. The last time the Cougar women had a 10-plus win season was in 2019 when they went 13-4. 

                The women will see how they mesh this weekend when they have an alumni game on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Landers Soccer Complex and then they open the season for real on August 19 when they travel to Sterling, Colorado, to face Iowa Lakes Community College before hosting Southeast Community College on Monday, August 21 in a 10 a.m. start. 

                Sophomore Sara Lourenco, who suffered a knee injury a year ago after the season, said this team has a lot of talent and is looking good in pre-season practices. 

                “The women’s soccer team can be an excellent team,” Lourenco, of Colider, Brazil, said. “We have great talent and also we all work hard. We have everything to be a very good team.” 

                Besides Loucenco, the other returners from a year ago include Lesley Vasquez of Denver, Colorado, Tania Razo of Aurora, Colorado, and Aileen Perez of Thorton, Colorado. Jackeline Castro also returns but will be redshirting this season. 

                What makes the women dangerous is how talented the incoming players are. The Cougars have plenty of talent from around the area including Scottsbluff graduate Kate Larson, Torrington graduate Jade Brothwell, along with Spearfish, South Dakota, graduate Emily Hunsley, who’s sister Brittney played for the Cougars in 2019. 

                “The team had a lot of talent and different talent,” Lourenco said. “That, in my opinion, is what makes the team totally complete.” 

                Larson can also play goalkeeper when she isn’t playing in the field. The goalkeeper is Emily VillaGomez of Aurora, Colorado. As a junior, VillaGomez had 62 saves in net for Vista Peak Prep. Joining VillaGomez on the Cougars is her high school teammate Lizbeth Barrera.  

                Other players on the team include Ariel Veliz of Wellington, Colorado, Yasmin Urbina of Brush Colorado, Valentina Cueva from Lima, Peru, Ana Gomes from Brazil, Alejandra Rodriguez from Quitor, Ecuador, and the twins on the team Ashley and Maria VillaGomez from Mexico.  

                With all the talent on this team, Lourenco said it isn’t just one player standing out, but everyone is standing out. 

                “The team is very talented,” she said. “All the girls are going very well. I can’t say one player is standing out, but the team together will stand out so much this season.” 

                The goal for this team is to make the regional tournament and a chance at a regional title. If everything goes right, that could happen.