Your future, our focus
Hill To Stick With Snyder In Goal For Now
The first-place Northwest College men’s soccer team picked up its third straight win and improved to 4-1 in Region IX over the weekend.
A 3-1 win against Laramie County and a 4-3 win over Western Nebraska bumped the Trappers’ record to 5-2 overall, and 4-1 at Trapper Field.
To hold on to the top spot in the region, the Trappers will have to continue their strong play away from Powell.
“We’ve done the right thing to get some wins at home and now we’ve got to take care of business on the road,” NWC head coach Rob Hill said.
Northwest played at Sheridan on Wednesday (after press time) and take on Western Wyoming in Rock Springs at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s a really open region right now, and I don’t think the standings really reflect everything that’s going on,” Hill said. “It’s anyone’s to win right now. Obviously, it’s a long ways to go but everyone’s beaten everyone.”
The Trappers won a back-and-forth affair Saturday afternoon against the Western Nebraska Cougars.
NWC freshman George Battersby scored two first-half goals to put the Trappers ahead, but quick strikes by Western Nebraska’s Ibrahim Meite (57th minute) and Josiah Bolyard (60th) tied the game.
“It was just a lack of concentration,” Hill said of Northwest’s defensive breakdown. “All it takes is one goal for the opposition to get back in the game. We concede the silly goal and then the motivation shifted. We were on the back foot.”
The Trappers used a pair of rapid-fire goals to regain their two-goal lead in the second half.
Sophomore Eddie Asamoah scored his third goal of the year on a pass from Danny Mort in the 72nd minute, and Mort scored two minutes later with an assist from Charlie Gleisinger.
“The third goal that we got from Eddie was a good goal,” Hill said. “But it was still 20-someting minutes left in the game. The final goal, where Charlie put a ball into Danny, it was nice to get that 2-goal cushion again.”
Meite brought the Golden Eagles to within. a goal in the 85th minute, but time ran out on Laramie and Northwest won its third straight conference match.
Hill said Northwest must get away from its tendency to ease up after establishing a lead.
“We were our own worst enemies then. We can’t let teams back in like that,” Hill said. “We’ve yet to have a complete game. We can’t keep saying, ‘we got by.’”
Freshman Nate Snyder got the start in goal and made four saves on seven shots.
The Trappers never trailed against the Cougars, but had to come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit against the Golden Eagles on Friday.
Freshman Mitchell Pinney scored in the 47th and 57th minutes for his first two goals the season. It was the first home conference game for Pinney, who was injured on Aug. 29 against Utah State University- Eastern and missed home matches against Sheridan and Western Wyoming.
“In that game against LCCC, he got one from open play and a penalty kick,” Hill said. “He also got an assist in that game. He had a good impact on that game.”
Pinney wasn’t the only Northwest striker to have a good weekend. Mort, Battersby and Asamoah all found the back of the net, and the improved touches up front pleased Hill.
In between Pinney’s goals was Asamoah’s go-ahead goal in the 54th minute on which Pinney assisted.
Snyder, again playing the entire match, made seven saves while conceding one goal in the win.
Each team managed 15 shots and eight on goal, while Northwest received seven corner kicks to Laramie’s two.
Snyder has allowed 1.09 goals per game and has a .769 save percentage through six starts.
A five-game road trip began yesterday at Sheridan (after press time) and continues at Western Wyoming on Saturday.
The three-game win streak will be put on the line against the Generals, who handed the Trappers a 3-1 home loss — their only such loss of the season — on Sept. 2. Northwest beat Western Wyoming 3-1 on Sept. 4.