WICHITA, KS – The season came to a close for the Laramie County Community College women' soccer team, falling to Iowa Western Community College 3-0 in a game that was much closer than the final score gives credit.
"It was a really fun game, just back and forth in that first half and I actually thought that gave us momentum to believe at halftime that anything is possible," Head Coach Lugo Arenas said.
The two-time defending national champions were in a fight in the opening half of the game that saw both teams play to a scoreless draw after 45 minutes. The Reivers had outshot the Golden Eagles 9-3 but only seven of those shots had been on goal thanks to a strong defensive effort.
"Sometimes you can ride the wave a little bit and I think that might have hurt us in the second half, but it was just an exciting moment as a coach to see how the girls performed in the first half," Arenas said.
In the second half, the wind was at the back of the Iowa Western attack, and they took advantage, putting the Golden Eagles on their back heels and not really allowing the ball across the midfield stripe.
The pressure eventually got through and in the 53rd minute, a ball crossed by Hinami Ogushi was redirected back into the middle of the box by Alexia Medrano and Oruha Hayashi capitalized to put the Reivers on top with the opening goal.
Momentum shifted for the next fifteen minutes and LCCC had two more unfortunate goals get by in the 65th and 68th minutes with scores from Ogushi and Honoka Hohara building the lead up to 3-0.
Arenas used an injury stoppage after the third goal to gather the team near him and his goal was to remind the team of who they were representing.
"I could see that maybe that hope was starting to fade away, but I just reminded the girls that they still represent us and the program and what Wyoming is always known for and that is toughness. I reminded them that there was still ten minutes left and they needed to work to continue to push through and represent the Wyoming tough."
The final fifteen minutes saw the LCCC attack begin to build some momentum back on their side. They possessed the ball for the majority of the final stretch and had several good runs on goal, and despite the final score ending up 3-0, there was a better sense of pride from the players and coaches walking off of the field.
"I think that was the message that the girls needed to hear," Arenas said. "I think that maybe they had felt like I also was feeling we had lost this game and for them to hear that wasn't the case, it really represented what all they have been able to do this year, because they have overcome a lot of adversity."
The Golden Eagles wrap up the season with a record of 12-6-3 and the Region IX and Northwest Plains District Champions for the third straight season and 15th season overall. It was also the team's 15th appearance at the national tournament.
Arenas picked up his first win at the national tournament in the previous match against Tyler Junior College and was also named the Northwest Plains District Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
"I told the sophomores that they did a good job to leave the program in a better position than when they got here, and for our freshman, they have a lot to build off of and we have a strong group of freshman coming back next year," Arenas said.
LCCC has already been working on the 2025 class and has signed three new Golden Eagles to the roster for next season. The team will be back in the spring with several scrimmage dates. Be sure to keep an eye on www.golccc.com for updates to the schedule and releases on the team.