SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. - Western Nebraska Community College first-year head coach Eseah Ingram is excited about the coming soccer season as the Cougars prepare to defend their Region IX championship when they open the season August 21 and 23 in Utah.
Ingram said he believes this team is ready to go. WNCC had two scrimmages, a Navy/Gold home scrimmage and then traveled to face Garden City Community College earlier in August.
“Yes, the team is ready for the challenge, and we’re excited to get the season started! Hopeful to get it started well!” Ingram said.
Just like last year, WNCC will have a tough opening schedule.
WNCC opens the season Thursday, August 21 when they face No. 9 Salt Lake Community College and then take on No. 17 Snow College on August 23.
While their two opponents are ranked, WNCC joins the list as they are ranked 18th in the pre-season poll, so Ingram said this will be a good test.
“Salt Lake is a solidified program, one that finds themselves at nationals pretty much every year and a true contender always,” he said. “They’ll be a tough match up for sure, but it’s going to be fun! These are the games all top players want!”
The Salt Lake contest will be at Ephraim, Utah, and then the Cougars will face Snow on their home field in Ephraim.
“With Snow, we know about them from last year, but with JUCO teams change every season so we don’t know too much yet but will look to find out soon,” he said. “Snow is a team we’d like to get a better result against in order to make up for last season and all the cards. They’re a solid side and ranked for a reason so I’m excited to see how that game turns out as well.”
Last year WNCC faced Snow in Utah and lost 5-1 and gave up four second half goals to fall to Snow.
Ingram said this weekend is a good opening weekend as they will be busy the next week when they travel to Iowa to face Iowa Lakes Community College and St. Louis Community College. Iowa Lakes is ranked third in the NJCAA Division II poll while St. Louis was 4-9-3 a year ago.
“It’s a weekend full of ranked teams playing against one another so I’m sure it is going to be a proper and competitive weekend!” Ingram said. “These games tell us where we are at and will be good for use down the road; my hope is we compete well and show we are worthy of the preseason rankings.”
WNCC will field a team that is loaded with talent and Ingram said he will have a tough time picking a starting line-up, which could change game-to-game.
“For minutes, it will be tough but I’m certain it will be sorted,” he said. “The best players will play regardless and my players understand that. Everyone here has their role and they must own it and remember it’s all for the TEAM first. As long as we keep that mindset everything will take care of itself.”
Ingram said several players are standing out so far this pre-season including some sophomores and freshmen.
“With our players, keep an eye out for key returners such as Alvaro Abeal Pou and Anthony Lemus,” he said. “Also, some freshman such as Aurele Cuenot, Nicolas Selvaggio, and Aaron Kadja.”
The Cougar men have nine players back from a year ago and have a roster of 17 newcomers.
The returners include goalkeepers Tomas Guzman of Buenos Aires, Brazil, and Owen Henderson of Greeley, Colorado; Alvaro Abeal of Spain; Yediel Hernandez of Moca, Puerto Rico; Bonheur Kitongo of Erie, Pennsylvania; Anthony Lemus of Houston, Texas; Brady Smallwood of Greeley, Colorado; Mederique Eboucle of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Jeff Laguerre of Haines City, Florida.
The freshmen are just as talented. The three players Ingram mentioned include Aurele Cuenot of Vennes, France; Nicolas Selvaggio of Spain; and Aaron Kadja of Quebec, Canada.
Other freshmen include goalkeeper Ever Zubia of Denver, Colorado. The other two goalkeepers are sophomores Henderson and Guzman.
The rest of the freshmen include David Ngolo of Montreal, Quebec; Robert Connolly of St. Thomas, Canada; Cohen Rowe of Orlando, Florida; Juan Macias of Brighton , Colorado; Pau Vera Montoya of Spain; Giani Nguili of France; Tomoaki Kamiya of Japan; Sean Kim of Orlando, Florida; Randall Jacques of Montreal, Quebec; Oscar Molina of Miami, Florida; Christ Aaron Kadja of Montreal, Quebec; and Jean Wil Standly-Lord of Terrebonne, Quebec.
Ingram said this is one of the deepest teams of talent, but they have to keep improving through the season to make that return trip to nationals.
“The keys to winning is have a winning mentality and habits everyday,” he said. “In every aspect of the game we must train and prepare as a top team and then we must perform as well. We will need every single person on this team in order to be successful and i’m confident we have the right guys to do so!”
The Cougars’ first home contest isn’t until the weekend of September 19-20 when they host Otero College and Trinidad State College.

WNCC women’s soccer team opens season Friday on the road

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team is ready to get going and this year’s team is full of talent.
The Cougar women will open the season in Ephraim, Utah, when they face Northwest College on Friday, August 22 and Yavapai College on August 23.
WNCC women’s head coach Todd Rasnic said this team is ready to get started.
“I think so. I mean, I shouldn’t say I think so. Yes, we’re ready to go play. We certainly have done the work,” Rasnic said. “We’ve got our organization together. We did add two new players within the last couple days that were stuck because of the visa pods and so the only question is how quickly can they adapt to the team environment.”
Rasnic said this team has plenty of talent on it and has all the potential to battle for a regional title. Last year the Cougars managed just three wins, falling in several close contests.
“We’ve got to play games to see exactly how talented we are, but they certainly look like that. They are an improved squad,” he said. “Last year we stayed in a lot of matches and could’ve won a lot of matches, however, we just simply didn’t have the numbers and this year we have a roster size of 20.”
What makes this team special is depth and plenty of players that can put the ball in the net.
“We have a lot of quality athletes who can play. Those are big factors, but I would say the number one factor that we have is we have several players with the ability to score goals,” Rasnic said. “We really struggled last year in the final third in trying to score goals and so having a new group in here that have proven consistently during training that they can score goals that really gives us a sense of excitement for the year.”
The Cougar women return five players that saw action a year ago. Those five include Danae Montalvo of Quito, Ecuador; Amanda Duarte of Tangara da Serra, Brazil; Audrey Gosener of Cassville, Missouri; Mariah Russel of Scottsbluff, and Tanner Nelson of Loveland, Colorado.
WNCC also had two players that were part of the team last year. Rachel Riordan had to red-shirt last year because of an injury and she is from Acworth, Georgia, and Marit Schelstraete came in at semester and played with the team during the second semster. Schelstraete is from Oost-Souburg, Netherlands.
The Cougars also have another sophomore who transferred from Dodge City Community College in Melanie Belder. Belder is from Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The women’s team also have several freshman that should be fun to watch.
The freshmen include goalkeepers Rory Weizenegger of Greeley, Colorado, and Feline Groenwold of Groningen, Netherlands.
The other freshman include Lilian Shindle of Greeley, Colorado; Aeisasha Lashley of Stoney Ground, Anguilla; Adryanna Rodriquez of Scottsbluff; Julia Santos of Passo Fundo, Brazil; Allison Herbel of Gering; Nia Trevino and Stefanie Ceja-Gomez of Greeley, Colorado; Camila Emanuelle de Souza of Brazil; Irene Romero Molina of Alicante, Spain; and Candela Martin of Madrid, Spain.
Rasnic said two returners that are having a good pre-season are Montalvo and Duarte. Both were also named captains for the team this year.
“We have Danae Montalvo from Ecuador. She’s such a solid center back and then also Amanda, both are captains ,” he said. “Amanda consistently last year played at a very high level. She’s a big strong gal and she needs to be. She’s technically sound and she has a good soccer mind.”
As for the freshman, he sees several players standing out.
“I think of the freshman that stand out to me number one is Julia. She is a very solid centerback. She played on the national team in Angualla,” Rasnic said. “Another very solid player is Irene from Spain. Irene plays right back for us. She’ll also be good but if I had to choose a player who so far in preseason as impressed me is Julia from Brazil. She has done a very good job.
“Camilla coming in at left back for us from Brazil. We just have a lot of good solid international players and we mixed a couple local players in with that you’ve got returning Mariah Russell. And then we brought in the two new gals one from Scottsbluff and one from Gering with Allison Herbel and Adryana Rodriguez. Both have been showing while in training, so we expect good things from the team this year.”
After this weekend, the Cougars will be back on the road at a classic at Iowa Lakes Community College where they will face Iowa Lakes Community College and St. Louis Community College.
The Cougars first home game isn’t until September 19 and 20 when they host Otero College and Trinidad State College.
So, what will it take to win this year? Rasnic said that is simple, we have to stay disciplined.
“I just think we need to stay disciplined. You know that’s the key always in my mind is discipline and being treated to the training,” he said. “It’s like any coach will tell you in any sport, you can train all day long but unless the players go out and execute, it’s a tough road. Soon opening weekend we’re going find out if they have the ability to execute our game plan and keep the wheels in motion going forward here to try to build some momentum as the season begins.”