TRAPPER WOMEN COME UP SHORT AT CENTRAL
In another game of two halves the Northwest College women’s soccer team came up short on the road, losing to Central Wyoming College 2-1 after a strong second half wasn’t enough to push past the hosts.
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
In another game of two halves the Northwest College women's soccer team came up short on the road, losing to Central Wyoming College 2-1 after a strong second half wasn't enough to push past the hosts.
CENTRAL WYOMING 2, NORTHWEST 1
Heading to Riverton on Saturday the Trappers (3-5-1 overall, 2-4 Region IX) needed a win over the Rustlers (5-4 overall, 4-2 Region IX) to try earning a key tiebreaker in a race towards the postseason.
Central struck first, scoring on a long free kick that couldn't be wrangled in the box and the Rustlers led 1-0, 16 minutes into the game.
"We didn't win a single ball in the air. We didn't win a single second ball, every goal kick, we just lost," coach Rob Hill said. "We just didn't compete and so they were always on the front foot. The first goal was an unfortunate long free kick, Juliana (Hidalgo) felt she was fouled, but still, I just think we gave up a silly foul and then just a long free kick and a rebound. We should have responded quicker."
Central continued to press the initiative, and got a second goal less than 10 minutes after when a move up the right wing was cut inside and fired in from the top of the 18-yard box into the near post and made it 2-0.
Northwest was unable to find any answer in the first half and went into the break trailing 2-0.
"In terms of soccer they didn't break us down, but it was more of they were first to every ball which meant we were always defending and chasing back to our goal," Hill said. "When you're not in possession of the ball it's very hard to get a rhythm. It's very hard to get passing patterns going. So the first half was a real struggle."
The Trappers got their goal early in the second half, when Elli Lewis took a long switch and dribbled past a defender before putting it in the top corner at the near post to make it 2-1 less than five minutes in.
Northwest's best chance for an equalizer came 22 minutes into the second half, when Lewis again beat her defender on the wing and had her shot hit off the post and get deflected out for a corner.
"In the second half we kind of woke up and we did have opportunities. We scored and then we hit the post, no one responded to that. We had several opportunities," Hill said. "That's been the story of the season. We start off slow mentally, not in the game, not winning 50/50s, not winning second balls. Then we're down a goal and we try a little bit harder … A lot of them are technically gifted and are good players, but you need the grit, the mentality, the competitiveness, that will to win and that's what some of them failed to adjust to."
Hill said he is uncertain if that is because of a transition from the high school to college level or a cultural change for international students, as he feels the team needs to find a harder working mindset to get wins late in the season.
Northwest is currently on the outside looking in on the Region IX postseason, and Hill believes the team will likely need four straight wins to end the year in order to guarantee a spot in the postseason festivities.
ROAD TRIP CONTINUES
Northwest remains out of town this weekend, heading southeast for two of the biggest games of the season.
That starts with a matchup against Laramie County Community College (6-2-2 overall, 6-0-1 Region IX) at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
"LCCC will be tough. They tied Casper, they're always kind of hard working and very direct," Hill said. It's not necessarily pretty football, but it's effective because they're athletic and they just run."
The road trip concludes in Scottsbluff on Saturday, when the Trappers take on Western Nebraska Community College (3-9 overall, 2-5 Region IX) for the second time this season after Northwest defeated the Cougars in a neutral site game 5-2 in August.
"We beat them early on in the season, but again that was so early and that was their (Western Nebraska's) first game of the season. A lot changes between now and then," Hill said. "We've had two ACL tears from sophomore players, and we've had another couple of other injuries that have kind of ended the season. So it's going to be a very, very tough weekend. It's never easy on the road."