CASPER, WY – The Wyoming weather tried to knock down the Golden Eagles on Saturday in the Region IX Semifinal, but the Golden Eagles rose to not only win the fight with the elements but also take down the top seed in the Region IX Championships with a 2-1 victory over the Casper College Thunderbirds.
"After losing to them the first time, I know we were excited to get a second stab at them," Head Coach Lugo Arenas said. "Our mentally was seedings are gone, it's just whoever's day it is and for us, we just stuck to our gameplan, especially with the win begin such a big factor today. I'm proud of our girls and we get to play on."
The Golden Eagles were in a hole early on when Casper was able to take advantage of a counterattack and Taylor Miller gave the Thunderbirds the 1-0 lead in the third minute with a one-on-one finish past Becca Sargent.
LCCC didn't wait to rally. Immediately going on to the attack themselves, it was the hero of the postseason for LCCC to this point as Rachelle Pinto finished off her third goal of the postseason to level the game in the 11th minute after a pass from Danelle O'Leary set up the sophomore with a shot from 10 yards out.
"I was ecstatic that the team didn't knocked down after being scored on in the first ten minutes. They showed through the rest of the game that they felt like they could play with a team like this," Arenas said.
The pace continued to be frantic in the first half as both sides looked to break the tie, and the two sides combined for 20 shots with eight of them on goal in the first 45 minutes.
LCCC had to work into the win in the second half and that limited their shot opportunities. That and Arenas took the team into the strategy of bend but don't break on the defensive side.
The Thunderbirds struggled to find any gaps in the Golden Eagles defense and only were able to take six shots of their own, putting three on the goal but all of them were saved by Sargent who finished the day with seven saves.
Everything broke open when O'Leary was able to make a break on the right side of the field after a pass by Aubrey Yantis beat the Casper defender. O'Leary finished from just off of the goal and with four minutes to play LCCC had the victory in sight.
"Close games like this are when we need our gamechangers and I think (O'Leary) has embraced that," Arenas said. "Seeing the reaction over everybody else on the sidelines, knowing what was at stake, I've never seen some people jump up as fast as that goal had gotten in the back of the net."
A few desperation attempts by Casper late were fought off by LCCC as the Golden Eagles punched a ticket into their third consecutive Region IX Championship Game and a chance to make it to the National Championships in Wichita for the third consecutive season.
Pinto's goal was her third of the postseason and fourth of her career. It was a key moment in the game and Arenas said he is proud of how she has stepped into a bigger role as the season has gone on.
"Her biggest asset is just her energy. Wherever she plays we know we are going to get that and her most effort. She's always smiling and always happy, and it's just as contagious on and off of the field."
The Golden Eagles will be traveling to Powell, Wyoming to face off against the Trappers. Northwest College took down Western Wyoming Community College in the other Region IX Semifinal and as they third seed, earns the right to host.
"For us, it's about staying locked in for the rest of the week. Recognizing that moments like these don't come very often. For us to be able to get this done as a group, I think it's perfect timing and after a bumpy start to begin the year I think we've really hit our stride," Arenas said. "I think the girls are really just growing and it makes me even happier as a coach because they are bonding even better than we expected."
Information on the Region IX Championship and more on the LCCC Women's Soccer season can be found at www.golccc.com.