The Western Nebraska Community College men's soccer team's 2-9 record in the spring will be a short memory as the Cougar men look to bounce back this fall with plenty of offensive and defensive talent to make a run for a regional title.

                The Cougar men already have two wins under their belt as they won both their scrimmages, but those games don't count. The matches that count begin Thursday when they face Northeast Community College at noon MST in Norfolk and then Central Community College-Columbus in Columbus on Friday.

                WNCC head coach Todd Rasnic said this men's team has plenty of talent as well as depth. Depth was something that was lacking the men's team a year ago as several international players couldn't come because of the restrictions placed on international travel because of the coronavirus.

                "I think both teams have the potential to be good. There are a lot of factors involved in that," he said. "We are two weeks into the preseason and we are not in mid-season form yet. It is a difficult thing to predict as a team and sometimes it is difficult in mid-season of how you will do in the end. As long as we keep moving in a positive direction, I think we will be ok."

                The Cougars return nine players from a year ago and have a roster of 24 and many of those returning will be key pieces to this year's puzzle.

                The returners that will officially be sophomores this year include Washington Alves, a 6-foot forward, Vitor Huertas, a 6-0 midfielder, and Ygor Brito, a 5-7 forward, both from Sao Paulo, Brazil; Paul Cerros, a 6-0 defender from Chihuahua, Mexico; and Luis Martinez, a 6-1 midfielder from Scottsbluff.

                The other four players were first-year players last spring and will have two years of athletic eligibility left. They include Imanal Munoz, a 6-0 goalkeeper from Holdrege; Jacob Collins, a 5-11 defender from Denver; Saugat Rai, a 5-5 forward from Aurora, Colorado; and Kaleb Gonzalez, a 5-8 defender from Minatare.

                The Cougars also have Dante Rafaela, a 5-9 defender from Thornton, who red-shirted a year ago.

                The newcomers to the roster are plentiful. The Nebraska players on the squad include Francisco Morales, 5-7, Garick Schick, 6-0, and Oziel Carmargo, 5-9, from Scottsbluff.

                The Colorado newcomers include Yael Armenta, 5-4, and Axel Ruiz, both of Denver; Luis Molina, 5-9, of Rifle; and Danile Sanchez, 6-2 of Wheatridge.

                The rest of the players are international. They include Paulo Henrique, 6-4, of Cabedeio, Brazil; Renan Soiuza, 5-9, of Reibeirao Preto, Brazil; Rodrigo Cercal, 5-8, of Joinville, Brazil; Shota Masuko, 5-9, from Saitama, Japan; Gabriel Santos, 5-10, of Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Tom Pelzer, 5-11 of Bad Sackingen, Germany.

                The Cougar men's depth has shown in the two scrimmages they had. In the alumni scrimmage, the Cougar men scored eight goals for the shutout win. On Saturday, against the Bright Stars out of Denver, the men won 3-0 against a team of players that are ready to compete in a top-notch tournament.

                Rasnic said they did well and they showed that there are many weapons on the team from offense to defense.

                "They played well and they were playing a team out of Denver that will compete in a tournament here shortly and the opponent was working so they would put their best foot forward as a team," he said. "We went out just to see what we would do as a team this year. I felt like we dominated every aspect of the game. We probably possessed the game 70/30. We controlled the rhythm and pace of the game. We attacked how and when we wanted to in the game. I think it was a decent showing for them."

                The scoring in the first two scrimmages have come from newcomers and returners. On Saturday, the goals came from Cercal and Alves with a third that was an own goal. The alumni game saw the same with four or five different players finding the back of the net.

                When the Cougars open the season on Thursday, they will play a team that went 7-8-2 a year ago and lost in the regional final. Rasnic said he knows Northeast plays in a tough region and he knows their coach recruits well.

                "We haven't played them two or three years now and they are sort of a mystery to us," he said. "I know the coach and I know how he coaches. I kind of know what to expect, but the talent changes from year to year in junior college. We are just going to go out and just play. We are prepared as much as we are going to get right now. The results will be what they are. Hopefully, we will be on top at the end."

                After this weekend, the Cougar men will have a scrimmage in Rapid City against South School of Mines before returning home for a weekend home series over Labor Day Weekend when they host Northwest College on Friday and Central Wyoming on Saturday.

                The Cougars have just five home matches this season. The other three are September 8 against Laramie County Community College, September 15 against Casper College, and September 18 against Northeastern Junior College.