Your future, our focus
Trappers travel to Trinidad, Colo., for Quarterfinal Match Saturday
Northwest College soccer coach Rob Hill and his Trapper soccer teams saw both sides of the coin after the weekend’s action in Colorado came to a close.
Despite dropping a 4-3 overtime loss to Trinidad State Junior College on Friday and tying Otero Junior College 1-1 on Saturday, the Trapper men (7-6-2) earned a berth in the Region IX Tournament.
They will start with a quarterfinal matchup at host and No. 1 seed (south group) Trinidad on Saturday. The Trappers will be the fourth seed from the north group.
The Lady Trappers were unable to achieve the same feat however, finishing 4-9-1 for the year after 5-0 and 7-0 losses to Trinidad and Otero, respectively.
“It was a very disappointing end to the season,” Hill said of the women’s performances. “It just shows you what happens if you don’t work hard and together as a unit. We have individuals on the team who are ambitious but it takes a whole team to win a game. It has been evident from the beginning.”
On the flip side, Hill was optimistic about the men’s improvements over the course of the season, finding positives in the two tight road matches.
“The guys are coming together as a team at the right time,” he said. “They saw that they can step up and play for each other. It was important that the rate of work was good in both games. It was a real team effort last weekend, they all did a good job.”
Against Trinidad, the Trappers struck first when Omar Garcia netted an assist from Cedric Omoregie in the 37th minute. The Trojans tied the match a minute later on a Ricardo Zacerias’ goal before grabbing a 2-1 advantage in the 43rd minute on Zacerias’ second score of the game.
After NWC’s Sam White was fouled, Garcia found his second tally on the ensuing penalty kick. Down 3-2 later, Alex Abalan had a shot blocked, but White fielded the deflection and scored his fifth goal of the season. In overtime though, Trinidad secured the win when Lukas Smith scored on a header in the fifth minute.
Garcia said after the match that he was happy with his offensive effort, but hopes for a better team result at the end.
“It was definitely good for me to get back on the scoring sheet, but it was sad that we lost because we worked well as a team,” Garcia said. “It was a good experience to come to Trinidad before we start the playoffs. We’ll work on our tactics and we’ll be ready for Saturday.
“They won’t win a third time against us when we defend as a group.”
The Trappers took a step toward preparing for the postseason with a solid effort against Otero. In the 28th minute, reserve goalkeeper Alex Basulto made a save on an Otero penalty kick, and Marco Gutierrez rewarded his goalie with a 1-0 lead thanks to a Daniel Moats’ assist a minute later.
Otero’s Erick Chapa scored on a low ball into the box in the 33rd minute to tie the match and finish out the scoring.
If Powell finds a way past Trinidad this weekend, they’ll have home field advantage as the region tournament semifinal and championship will take place in Powell.
But Hill knows the men will need to be at their best to extend their season past Trinidad.
“When you’re heading into tournament play, you have to hit the right notes at the right time. I think we are doing that,” Hill said. “It’s definitely going to take a lot of hard work, but I think the team is ready for it. There is a different atmosphere around the team now.”