Western Wyoming Women's soccer for the first time ever hosted a Region IX tournament match when they welcomed the Lady Cougars into town. WWCC earned the right to host the playoff match as they were one of the top two teams for the Region IX North sub-region.
This was the third time on the season that these two teams had faced each other. The first was a scrimmage in August in Nebraska and the second was in Rock Springs in just a couple weeks earlier. Both previous meetings the Mustangs ended on top of the contest.
Different from the earlier meetings Western Nebraska struck first, scoring a goal in the 16th minute. WWCC did not panic even down a goal in a tournament match. Western Wyo continued to create chances and put pressure on the Lady Cougar back line. In the 21st minute Kylee Manning headed in a Taya Merrell flip throw to even the match at 1 goal a piece. The match would remain tied for the remainder of the first half.
In the second half the Mustangs continue to press their tempo and attack. This pressure paid dividends when in the 54th minute Kylee Manning scored her second goal of the match from a Kaitlyn Pryor assist. In the 75th minute the Mustangs sealed the victory when Kaitlyn Pryor scored a great goal with an assist from Maylee Thompson. The final score was WWCC 3 and WNCC 1. The post season victory moves the Western Wyo 2018 season record to 11 - 6 - 1. With the victory the Mustangs will move onto the Region IX Semifinals in Denver CO. This is the third consecutive year that WWCC will have played in Denver CO for the Region Semifinals, only one other Region IX women's team can boast this same feat.
Mustang Valuable Player: Kylee Manning - Kylee scored the equalizing goal and the match winning goal on the day.
Match Facts - Shots - WWCC 29, WNCC 5; Assists - WWCC 3, WNCC 1; Saves - WWCC 3, WNCC 5; Corner Kicks - WWCC 4, WNCC 0; Free Kicks - WWCC 11, WNCC 13; Cards - WWCC 2, WNCC 1
Up Next for the Mustangs: Semifinals - Region IX tournament - Friday October 26th vs Winner of #1S - Otero JC or #4N - Gillette College - Denver CO - Metro State University Campus
