End of 2019 Season Slideshow

* Sorry if not all the music works, there were some Copyright claims.

Western Wyo Women's Soccer Accomplishments Under Atkinson (2015 - 2019)

• 46 overall wins (Atkinson is WWCC Women's Soccer Leader in Coaching Wins)
• NJCAA Region IX Champions (2018)
• NJCAA Great Lakes District Runners-up (2018)
• 4 appearances in the Region IX tournament (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• 3-time Region IX Semifinalist (2016, 2017, 2018)
• 3 consecutive years with winning record (2017-2019) a first for WWCC Soccer
• 6 First Team All-Region IX players
• 9 Second Team All-Region IX players
• 4 Honorable Mention All-Region IX players
• 1 Region IX Freshman of the Year – Markell Freeman
• 2 NJCAA Keepers of the Week (2017, 2018) – Lindsey Lemmons, Markell Freeman
• 3-time NJCAA Academic Team (2016, 2017, 2018)
• 28 Academic All-Conference players
• 19 Academic All-Region players
• 16 Academic All-American players
• 6 players played soccer at a 4-year school (5 total in nine season before 2015)
• NJCAA Region IX Coach of the Year (2018) - Jeff Atkinson

End of Atkinson Era for Western Wyo Soccer

To the Western Wyo Women's Soccer Program and Players,

It is heartbreaking for me to realize that my time with Western Wyo Soccer has come to an end.  I once thought to be a part of Western Soccer until I chose to retire from coaching.  The end of my Mustang coaching career was a decision entirely made by Western Wyoming Community College.  There were three supervisors who signed my letter of termination; one had never met me, one did not know anything about me as a person or a coach and another who was so deceitful and untrustworthy.

It is my opinion that the powers that be at Western did not appreciate that I researched and demonstrated that the compensation I was receiving was well below the job that I was fulfilling.  I was the lowest paid coach in Region IX of the NJCAA for both Men's and Women's soccer.  In fact, if you combined my earnings for both coaching jobs I held at WWCC, the majority of coaches in Region IX who only coached one soccer team were paid more than myself who coached two teams.

For five seasons, I was the head women's soccer coach and the head men's soccer coach at Western Wyoming, both of these jobs equaled one part time job in Western's eyes.  Because of the low pay and the part time status, I continued to teach Spanish at Rock Springs High to make ends meet. Working a full time job off of campus while still coaching and recruiting for two Western Wyo soccer teams is not an easy feat.  In coaching both men's and women's soccer I hoped that someday the job would grow into full-time employment for me.  On many occasions I reminded the college of my intentions and desires to be employed full-time at WWCC to only see other people with less coaching experience and less tenure receive those chances and benefits.  I thought that I had done everything the college asked me to do including having success on the field and in the classroom with the Western Wyo Student Athletes.

Not being a part of the Mustang Soccer Family will be difficult as it has been such a big part of my life for so long.  There are many great memories that I will carry with me forever and I am so thankful to have been a part of this program.  The two things I will miss the most are; the players and the coaching staff.  Some of the best individuals to ever grace the WWCC campus wore the Red, Black and White for Western Wyo Women's Soccer.  The players made this program what it has grown into and I thank them for believing in me and choosing Western to start their soccer careers.  It was my extreme pleasure to have worked all five seasons with the Western Wyo Women's Soccer team along side Brady Baldwin.  Brady is an exemplary coach and an even better friend and human being.  The last two seasons Alex Allred joined the staff as a team manager.  Alex is such a kind and good-hearted individual.  Alex did anything we asked of him at training sessions or matches, we were lucky to have his smile, work rate and dedication.  Although I am no longer a Mustang, I am sure that I will continue to be involved in coaching and in the sport of soccer, somethings are just too hard to get out of your system.

Sincerely,
Jeff Atkinson

2019 Season Accomplishments

Most goals scored in a season - 58

4th straight year in Region IX Tournament - 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

3rd straight year with a winning record - 2017, 2018, 2019

Top 50 in NJCAA for Goals (#47)

Top 50 in NJCAA for Assists (#40)

Top 15 in NJCAA in Shots per Match (#12)

Top 25 in NJCAA for offensive Corner Kicks (#21)

Top 50 in NJCAA for Shutouts (#45)

Top 10 in NJCAA for Home Attendance (#8)

First win versus a team from Nevada (TMCC)

2019 Season Leaders

Top Scorer - Karly Conolly  (13 goals)

Photo from Stacie Simmons

Most Assists - Kylee Manning (8 assists)

Most Offensive Points - Kylee Manning (32 points - 12 goals and 8 assists) & Karly Conolly (32 points - 13 goals and 6 assists)

Most Shots - Kylee Manning (79 shots)

Most Starts - Kylee Manning, Sydney Simmons, Abbie Riley, Porter Brown, Karly Conolly & Cassie Southwick (23 starts)

Most Halves Played - Kylee Manning, Sydney Simmons, Abbie Riley, Vanessa De Leon, Porter Brown, Karly Conolly, Lexi Chenoweth, Taya Merrell, Hayden Rupe, Graisy Greener & Cassie Southwick (46 halves played)

Most Saves - Markell Freeman (125 saves)

Most Shutouts - Markell Freeman (5 shutouts)

2019 All-Region 9 Team Announced

2nd Team All Region IX - Forward - Kylee Manning

2nd Team All Region IX - Defense - Porter Brown

2nd Team All Region IX - Midfield - Karly Conolly

2nd Team All Region IX - Keeper - Markell Freeman

Mustangs End Season in Blizzard at Gillette

Photo from Stacie Simmons

On Saturday morning in Gillette Wyoming the Mustangs started their defense of the Region IX tournament crown.  The first round of the playoffs had them travel to play at the Lady Pronghorns of Gillette College.

The match was played in strong winds with cold and snowy conditions.  The cold weather did not seem to hamper Gillette as they got out to a very hot start.  The Lady Pronghorns scored in the 5th minute and again in the 15th minute from a penalty shot.  The Mustangs would stop the bleeding and cut the lead in half when Hayden Rupe scored her own penalty kick in the 29th minute.  The score at the half was Gillette 2 and WWCC 1.

The second half pitted the Mustangs against the tough Gillette team plus the wind and the snowflakes falling in their faces.  The Lady Pronghorns continued their stellar play and found two more goals in the 65th and 73rd minute of play.  The Mustangs could not muster up enough offense to get another goal on the day.  The final score to the playoff match was Gillette 4 and Western Wyo 1.  The loss ends the season for the Mustangs.  Western Wyo's overall record for 2019 is 9 - 8 - 1.  2019 marked the fourth year in a row that the Mustangs advanced to the Region IX tournament and the first time since 2015 that they did not advance to at least the Region IX semifinals in Denver CO.

Mustang Valuable Player: Taya Merrell - Taya is always ready to play and gave it her all for her teammates and the program on the day (and throughout the season).

Match Facts: Shots - WWCC 6, GC 18; Assists - WWCC 0, GC 3; Saves - WWCC 9, GC 2; Corner Kicks - WWCC 1, GC 2; Free Kicks - WWCC 5, GC 6; Cards - WWCC 0, GC 0

Up Next for the Mustangs: End of 2019 season

Region IX Tournament Schedule 2019

Game #1
#2 - Gillette College vs #7 - Western Wyoming CC
Game at Gillette WY - 10/26/19

Game #2
#3 - Western Nebraska CC vs #6 - Northeastern JC
Game at Scottsbluff NE - 10/26/19

Game #3
#4 - Sheridan College vs #5 - Trinidad State JC
Game at Sheridan WY - 10/26/19

Game #4
#1 - Laramie County CC vs #8 - Otero JC
Game at Cheyenne WY - 10/26/19

Game #5 - Region Semifinal
Winner of Game #1 vs Winner of Game #2
Denver CO - 11/2/19

Game #6 - Region Semifinal
Winner of Game #3 vs Winner of Game #4
Denver CO - 11/2/19

Game #7 - Region Championship
Winner of Game #5 vs Winner of Game #6
Denver CO - 11/3/19

Western Wyo Fall to #4 LCCC in Regular Season Finale

Photos from Stacie Simmons

On Saturday in Cheyenne Wyoming the Mustangs played against the Laramie County CC Lady Golden Eagles.  This is the first time the two teams had met since the 2018 Region IX tournament final.  This was also the last regular season match of the 2019 campaign for the Mustangs.

The LCCC team would strike first when scoring in the 16th minute of play after a strange bounce from a lofted ball found its way to the back of the net.  Western had a couple of legitimate chances but could neither could find the target or beat the LCCC goal keeper.  The score at the end of the half was LCCC 1 and WWCC 0.

The second half was almost a mirror image of the first half.  LCCC creating more chances but Western Wyo playing hard and staying in the match.  The last goal of the day would be for LCCC in the 65th minute sending a 20 yard ball past the Mustang defense and keeper and into the net.  Kylee Manning and the other Mustang forwards kept pressure on the LCCC back line but did not find a goal.  The final score of the match was LCCC 2 and Western Wyo 0.  The loss brings the 2019 overall record for the Mustangs to 9 - 7 - 1 and the Region IX record to 4 - 5 - 1.

Mustang Valuable Player: Sydney Simmons - Syd played a great overall match - involved in the defense and offense every minute that she was on the field.

Match Facts: Shots - WWCC 3, LCCC 18; Assists - WWCC 0, LCCC 2; Saves - WWCC 11, LCCC 1; Corner Kicks - WWCC 4, LCCC 8; Free Kicks - WWCC 9, LCCC 3; Cards - WWCC 0, LCCC 2

Up Next for the Mustangs: Saturday October 26th versus TBA - Region IX Tournament - 1st Round

Western Wins in Neutral Site Match versus TMCC

Photos from Stacie Simmons

On Thursday in Salt Lake the Mustangs played against Truckee Meadows Community College from Reno Nevada in their first ever meeting.  The Lady Lizards play in Region 18 of the NJCAA.

The Mustangs wasted little time as the scored in the 18th minute of play when Lexi Chenoweth found the back of the net with an assist from Hayden Rupe.  Just one minute later Kylee Manning doubled the Western Wyo lead when she scored from a Graisy Greener assist.  Just when it seemed to be all roses for the Mustangs, the second own goal on the season happened against the Mustangs.  At the end of the first half of play the score was WWCC 2 and TMCC 1.

The second half was fairly evenly played until the 67th minute of play.  Taya Merrell scored her first goal of the season off of a pass from Lizzy Clark.  This third goal cemented the lead for the Mustangs and broke the spirit of the Lizards.  The final score was WWCC 3 and TMCC 1.  This non region victory improves the 2019 overall record to 9 - 6 - 1.  The victory ensures that the Mustangs will have a winning record for the third consecutive year, a first in Western Wyo Women's Soccer history.

Mustang Valuable Player: Kylee Manning for a beautiful goal which would turn out to be the game winner.

Mustang Facts: Shots - WWCC 19; Assists - WWCC 3; Saves - WWCC 5; Corner Kicks - WWCC 2; Fouls - WWCC 6; Cards - WWCC 0

Up Next for the Mustangs: Saturday October 19th versus Laramie County Community College (Region IX) in Cheyenne WY at 4:00pm- Last Regular Season Match

Late Goals for TSJC Sours Sophomore Day for Mustangs

Photos from Stacie Simmons

On Saturday in Rock Springs the Mustangs faced off against the Lady Trojans of Trinidad State Junior College.  This was the last home regular season match for Mustangs and an important match for seeding in the Region IX playoffs.

Western Wyo Women got off to an amazing start when Karly Conolly scored in the 4th mintue of play being assisted by Kylee Manning.  No other goals would be scored in the first half, the score at the break was WWCC 1 and TSJC 0.

Trinidad continued to pressure the Mustangs and found a tying goal in the 70th minute of play.  The goal was scored on a replacement keeper for the Mustangs as starting keeper Markell Freeman was on the sidelines nursing an injury.  Despite desperate attempts from both teams the score was tied at one goal a piece at the end of 90 minutes of play.

In the overtime the Trojans struck with a goal in the 93rd minute after a cross into the box that ended in several collisions and the ball in the back of the net.  The final score was TSJC 2 and WWCC 1.  This was the 3rd straight overtime match for the Mustangs and their 4th in 6 matches.  The loss slides the overall record for 2019 to 8 - 6 - 1 and the Region IX record to 4 - 4 - 1.  This loss almost ensures that the Mustangs will play a road playoff match in the first round of the Region IX playoffs.

Playing for the last time in the Red and Black in Rock Springs were sophomores; Kylee Manning, Abby Riley, McKay Smith, Lizzy Clark, Taya Merrell and Markell Freeman.

Mustang Valuable Player: Karly Conolly for the goal on the day and helping play keeper when needed by the team.

Mustang Facts: Shots - WWCC 10; Assists - WWCC 1; Saves - WWCC 6; Corner Kicks - WWCC 1; Fouls - WWCC 12; Cards - WWCC 2

Up Next for the Mustangs: Thursday October 17th versus Truckee Meadows CC at SLCC campus - Salt Lake City UT at 2:30pm

Sophomore Send-Off 2019

#2 - Kylee Manning

#6 - Abbie Riley

#8 - McKay Smith

 

#14 - Lizzy Clark

#16 - Taya Merrell

#18 - Markell Freeman

 * - Photos from Stacie Simmons

Match versus Otero Cut Short Due to Darkness

Photos from Stacie Simmons

 On Friday in Rock Springs WY the Mustangs squared off against Region IX opponent Otero Junior College.  The Lady Rattlers came into the match up riding a 3 game winning streak.  The start time of the match was delayed due to mechanical troubles on the OJC bus.

Otero had the intensity on the cold afternoon in the first half and it paid of from them when they scored in the 40th minute of play.  That goal would be the only scoring for the first 45 minutes of play as the score at the break would be OJC 1 and WWCC 0.

In the second half the Mustangs dug themselves into a bigger hole when the Lady Rattlers scored their scored goal in the 72nd minute to take a 2 goal lead with only 18 minutes to play.  Cassie Southwick lead the comeback for the Mustangs and scored in the 75th minute of play to cut the OJC lead in half.  Hayden Rupe continued her late in the match heroics when she tied the score at two goals a piece in the 83rd minute of play.  Porter Brown assisted Hayden on the tying goal.  No more goals would be had in regulation and the score would be tied at 2 goals a piece heading into overtime.

This marked the second straight overtime for the Mustangs and the third overtime match in their last 5 matches.  Western Wyo had the bulk on the chances in the overtime periods but neither team would score.  The match was finally called due to darkness in the 104th minute of play, since there are no lights on the RSJH field.  The tie evens the 2019 Mustang record to 8 - 5 - 1 and the Region IX record to 4 - 3 - 1.

Mustang Valuable Player: Cassie Southwick had the first goal for the Mustangs and a never give-up attitude.

Match Facts: Shots - WWCC 18, OJC 16; Assists - WWCC 1, OJC 1; Saves - WWCC 5, OJC 9; Corner Kicks - WWCC 2, OJC 3; Free Kicks - WWCC 6, OJC 4; Cards - WWCC 0, OJC 1

Up Next for the Mustangs: Saturday October 12th versus Trinidad State Junior College (Region IX) in Rock Springs WY at Rock Springs Junior High at 11:00am- Sophomore Send-off Day

WNCC Scores in OT to Defeat Western Wyo

Photo from Stacie Simmons

On Saturday the Mustangs went to Scottsbluff Nebraska to face old Region IX rivals Western Nebraska Lady Cougars.

The Mustangs offense struggled to create many chances throughout the match.  Western Nebraska created a few more opportunities but the majority of the match was played in the middle of the pitch.  The Cougars took the lead in the match when they scored on a counter attack in the 30th minute.  The lead would stick throughout the rest of the first half.  The score at the break was WNCC 1 and WWCC 0.

In the second half the Mustangs continued to fight to tie the match and found their break in the 88th minute when Hayden Rupe scored from a Karly Conolly assist.  The match was tied at one goal a piece after 90 minutes of play.

In the first overtime period the Mustangs again were victims to a great WNCC counter attack that led to a score.  Western Nebraska scored in the 97th minute to end the match WNCC 2 and WWCC 1.  The heartbreaking OT loss was their third Region IX overtime match of the season and their second overtime defeat.  The defeat on the day also stopped the Mustangs five match winning streak.  The loss brings the 2019 overall record for the Mustangs to 8 - 5 - 0 and the Region IX record to 4 - 3 - 0.

Mustang Valuable Player: Hayden Rupe, the second time in the season that she scored in the dying moments of a Region match in Nebraska.

Mustang Facts: Shots - WWCC 4; Assists - WWCC 1; Saves - WWCC 7; Corner Kicks - WWCC 1; Fouls - WWCC 10; Cards - WWCC 1

Up Next for the Mustangs: Friday October 11th versus Otero Junior College (Region IX match) in Rock Springs WY at Rock Springs Junior High at 5:00pm. 

Road Win versus NJC marks 5th Consecutive Win for WWCC

Photo from Jen Atkinson

On Friday in Sterling CO the Mustangs played against the Plainswomen of Northeastern Junior College.  This was another Region IX match for both teams.

The NJC team came out on fire and pretty much dominated the first fifteen minutes of play.  NJC scored in the 10th minute to take an early lead.  Western Wyo shook off the goal and mounted their own offensive that resulted in two first half goals.  The first WWCC goal coming in the 20th minute from Kylee Manning, assist credited to Hayden Rupe.  The go ahead goal was in the 35th minute again from Kylee Manning with McKay Smith giving the assist.  The score at the halftime break was WWCC 2 and NJC 1.

The second half saw both teams up the intensity and have some close calls in front of goal but no more scoring would happen for either team.  The final three whistles came and the Mustangs had the lead 2 to 1.  The win improves the 2019 overall record for the Mustangs to 8 - 4 - 0 and 4 - 2 - 0 in Region IX play.  This victory all but assures the Western Wyo team a spot in the 2019 playoffs.

Mustang Valuable Player: Kylee Manning for her tying and game winning goals.

Mustang Facts: Shots - WWCC 10; Assists - WWCC 2; Saves - WWCC 2; Corner Kicks - WWCC 2; Fouls - WWCC 7; Cards - WWCC 1

Up Next for the Mustangs: Saturday October 5th versus Western Nebraska Community College (Region IX match) in Scottsbluff NE at 1:30pm.