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NWC 2-2 in Region IX
It took an hour and 45 minutes, but Northwest soccer finally salvaged a road win.
Danny Mort’s double-overtime winner against Trinidad State on Saturday proved to be the difference between an 0-4 roadtrip for both NWC teams and a respectable 1-1 split for the Trapper men.
Mort scored in the 105th minute to give the Trappers (3-2 overall, 2-1 Region IX) a dramatic win over Trinidad (4-3, 2-1).
The goal from the freshman salvaged what was an otherwise lackluster game according to NWC head coach Rob Hill.
“It was a really good strike in the bottom corner, so I was pleased with him and it was nice to get a win on the road, something we struggled to do in the past,” Hill said. “But I still feel like we’re capable of playing at a higher standard.”
Both Northwest and Trinidad were playing their second game in a 30-hour span, and neither team was particularly sharp.
“It was a poor game all around,” Hill said. “It wasn’t a good game to watch, I thought it was a bit scrappy.”
Mort’s goal was assisted by freshman Mitchell Pinney.
NWC sophomore Eddie Asamoah gave the Trappers a 1-0 lead when he scored in the 39th minute off a pass from freshman Juan Clemente.
Hill expected Asamoah’s first goal of the season to spark the Northwest offense, but the Trappers failed to capitalize on the rest of their regulation chances.
“I was waiting for those to really get us going after that, and it never did,” Hill said.
Hill said a lack of intensity and urgency allowed Trinidad to tie the game just before halftime.
Trinidad’s Julian Padilla headed in the equalizer on a corner kick off the foot of Felipe Machado.
“They had a corner kick and we didn’t mark it and they punished us with a well-taken header,” Hill said.
Hill expected more from his defense after Asamoah gave the Trappers the lead near the end of the half.
“It’s just the worst time to concede,” Hill said. “We committed two silly errors. Not only were we in the last 10, but we had just scored a goal minutes before then.”
The teams played a scoreless second half to head into overtime tied at 1-1.
While Hill continues to push for more from his team, he said any win against the Trojans — who beat the Trappers in all three meetings, and reached the NJCAA Final Four, last season — is a good win.
“When you travel that far, it makes the journey longer if you lose your last game,” Hill said.
Starting keeper Alex Basulto made things easier on Northwest by stopping all but one of the nine shots he faced from Trinidad. Basulto started Saturday after freshman Nate Snyder got the nod on Friday.
“You’re getting to that point in the season when you need the keepers to be sharp,” Hill said. “If you go too long with either not having games under their belt, it’s hard to go out and play if you’re called upon.”
The Trappers’ ugly win on Saturday followed a better-looking loss on Friday. Northwest fell to No. 5 Otero 1-0, but brought an energy and focus not seen against Trinidad.
“I felt our commitment in that game was a lot higher. I was pleased with the way we fought back and stayed mentally tough,” Hill said.
Otero struck in the 37th minute for the game’s only goal, after which Northwest elevated its play, but wasn’t able to find the right touch up front.
“We had a lot of shots, lots of opportunities, we just weren’t composed enough,” Hill said.
The Rattlers scored less than 5 minutes after NWC sophomore Colton Strong received a red card, a call Hill said was debatable.
The Trappers were shorthanded for the final two-thirds of the game, but played even with the Rattlers aside from their goal.
“The second half, I felt with 10 men we played really well,” Hill said. “We took it to Otero and I felt we could have had three goals. We just got to be more clinical in front of goal.”
Of Northwest’s 14 shots, only three were on target, and handled by Otero keeper Omar Coronel.
Snyder faced three shots on goal as well, and conceded just his second goal of the season.
The Trappers return home this week for Region IX matches against Laramie County at 3 p.m. on Friday and Western Nebraska at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Sam White and Felix Pastenes are questionable for the next two matches.