WNCC soccer teams set for home matches this weekend

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s and men’s soccer teams are anxiously awaiting this weekend when they will host contests on Friday and Saturday at the Landers Soccer Complex.

                WNCC will have four teams in town for four matches on both days. Action begins Friday when WNCC women and men play Northwest College. The women’s contest kicks off at 10 a.m. with the men’s contest at 12 noon. Then, Central Wyoming College men and women will face Northeastern Junior college at 2 and 4 p.m.

                Saturday’s matches will pit WNCC against Central Wyoming College at 10 and 12 noon, with Northwest facing NJC at 2 and 4 p.m.

                Ana Caroline Lopes said the team is excited to be back on the home pitch for contests this weekend.

                “Playing at home is always a joy and opportunity for us because we have our family and friends here,” Lopes said. “To win we just need to play our game, play together and have fun playing.”

                WNCC will only have five home contests this season since last spring they had a lot of home matches. After this weekend, the Cougars will be home September 8 when they host Laramie County Community College. The final two home matches will be Wednesday, September 15 against Casper and Saturday, September 18 against Northeastern Junior College.

                After the NJC match, the Cougars will have six straight road games.

                The Cougar women are 1-1 on the season while the men are 2-0. They will facing two teams that played last weekend while the Cougars had the weekend off. The Cougars last played in a scrimmage on August 25 against Black Hills State and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

                Lopes knows they have to play well for the two teams to pick up victories since both teams have strong teams.

                “We know both teams are strong and fast and will definitely be hard work for us,” the sophomore from Brazil said. “But, we are training to give our best and come out with the victory.”

                The WNCC women have scored five goals so far in the two matches they had against Northeast Community College and Central Community College-Columbus. All five goals came from a different player showcasing the scoring depth the team has.

                Those scoring goals this season so far include Litzi Delarosa, Raquel Ferreira, Andrea Jimenez, Vanessa Vasquez, and Izzy Wright.

                The men have scored three goals this season. Rodrigo Cercal has scored two and Ygor Brito has knotted one goal and one assist.

                Lopes said the women’s team has been working hard to make a run a regional title and these early matches are key to setting the pace.

                “We’ve been working hard since pre-season and adjusting everything,” she said. “We still need to improve. We have the opportunity to win two games and we’re looking for the next wins.”

                After this weekend, the Cougars will host Casper on Wednesday and then hit the road for conference games at Otero and Trinidad State on September 10 and 11.