Your future, our focus
Added Depth Will Be Team’s Greatest Asset
The Northwest College Trappers announced their arrival on the soccer landscape last fall by finishing as the runner-up at the Region IX tournament. So what do head coach Rob Hill and company have in store for an encore?
“We had a great run to the finals last year and in a lot of ways I felt and still feel like we could and maybe should have won it,” Hill said of the Trappers championship meeting with fellow first-year program Otero. “Overall, our depth is better. We had good players last year, but we didn’t have the cover in certain areas that we needed. This year, I think we do.”
The Trappers fell by a 2-1 count in its exhibition game against Rocky Mountain, an improvement over the previous year’s 4-1 final. The team played another exhibition contest against Montana State University-Billings on Wednesday, which had not finished by press time.
In goal, the Trappers have returning sophomore Kyle Stewart from Richland, Wash. He’ll be joined by a Wyoming first-team all-state selection in Cameron Stanek out of Casper.
“Kyle improved so much over last season,” said Hill. “His confidence and reactions are just incredible. Cameron is a bigger kid, but he gets down for the ball quick. We competed with Great Falls and MSU for his signature and we were so fortunate to get him here. He was a good find for us.”
On defense, Hill returns a solid performer in Erik Rodriguez, one of three Florida-native players with the last name of Rodriguez on the roster, none of whom are related. He’ll be joined by Cheyenne’s Brad Ramsey and Manchester, England, product Shane Scrivner, also sophomores.
“Erik, with his speed, is just a huge asset playing at this level for us,” said Hill. “Brad is an extremely strong player. He’s an absolute bulldog who wins everything in the air and is hard to get by on the ground. He’s great to have in the center. Shane has good speed. He distributes the ball well and has been in the weight room and gotten a lot stronger.”
Freshman Abraham Benitez and Kory Jansma and sophomores Christian Rodriguez and Leo Santin will also factor into the Trappers’ defense throughout the year. Then there’s Valrick Fullins, whom Hill compared to a train.
“He’s a tough, tough defender,” Hill said. “The guys hate playing against him in practice. He hits hard and just comes on like a freight train in the back on defense.”
At midfield, freshman Anthony Orozco has turned heads early.
“I saw him play at Dick’s Sporting Goods field and he’s unbelievably fast,” said Hill. “He’s just lightning quick on the wing and very physical for the size that he’s got.”
On that same trip, Cesar Canales also jumped out for his skills as a winger. The pair could see themselves linking up this season.
Cody sophomore Zach O’Dell is back and provides versatility after playing every midfield position for the Trappers a year ago. Also back is Adrian Elicerio, whom Hill refers to as an “unbelievably good technical player” with tremendous upper body strength compared to his freshman season.
Emmanuel Elicerio, Adrian’s brother, is also back, but will likely be on the shelf for the first 3-4 weeks of the season after suffering what Hill called a “fairly severe quad tear.”
“We’re hoping to have him back,” Hill said. “He’s a good technical player.”
Sticking with the Florida theme found on the Trappers’ roster, Sergio Rodriguez is poised to make a splash in a very loaded midfield for NWC. Rodriguez was a chance pickup for the Trappers who demonstrated the ability to finish with both his left and right feet.
Freshman Flavio Salmeronwill catch fans’ attention with his ability to make runs off the ball. That could take the focus off sophomores Alan Da Costa and Matheus Santos at center midfield.
“Alan’s our most technical player,” said Hill. “He can send a pass 30 or 40 yards and hit someone on a dime. He missed some early practice, but we have him back and he’ll play (in the opener) at Salt Lake.”
A couple other foreign-born players are looking to make a splash. Matthew Hawkins is just 17 years old out of Australia, but looks right at home on the pitch.
“He’s incredibly fast — one of the fastest we’ve got on this team. He came in against Rocky and really shocked us. He’s got good skill, he just needs to get in the weight room and gain a little more upper body strength.”
London’s Dean Johnson also factors into the midfield for his passing and distribution abilities.
At the forward spot, the Trappers will again have the services of sophomores Leonardo Mederios and Legofi Crawford.
“Leonardo is just impossible to knock off the ball,” Hill said. “He’s incredibly strong. Legofi, at 6-foot-2, is our aerial target in the box.”
Northwest also gained a freshman in Helio Junior, whose quickness and finishing ability has Hill excited.
“The biggest thing with this team is that we’ve got competition at every position this year,” Hill said. “That makes a massive difference in practice and it helps when injuries and yellow cards come into play through the season. That’s what we lacked last year. This year, we have 20 or 22 guys that can all start if we need them.”
The Trappers open the regular season at Salt Lake on Saturday.