The Western Nebraska Community College women's soccer team won just three matches a year ago and this year the record could be reversed as the Cougar women opened pre-season practice over the weekend with plenty of talented players.

                Women's soccer player Danae Montalvo, a sophomore from Quito, Ecuador, said this team has plenty of talent and everything has been going well so far after two days of practices.

                "I see the team doing very well this year and that we can go very far," Montalvo said. "We want to win the region."

                The Cougar women have six players back from a year ago and five that saw action.

                Montalvo said there is plenty of depth on the team.

                "We have a lot of talent individually and we are going to transform that in a group way. We want to be a very technical team," she said.

                Besides Montalvo, other returners include Audrey Gosvener of Cassville, Missouri; Rachel Riordan of Acworth, Georgia; Mariah Russel of Scottsbluff; Amanda Duarte of Tangara da Serra, Brazil; and Tanner Nelson of Loveland, Colorado.

                Another player that came in at semester a year ago also returns and that is Marit Schelstraete of The Netherlands.

                The Cougars also have 14 freshmen on the squad besides Schelstraete, including to local soccer players in Gering's Allison Herbel and Scottsbluff's Adryana Rodriguez.

                The rest of the newcomers include Melanie Belder, Stefanie Ceja-Gomez, Camilla Emanuelle de Souza, Feline Groenwold, Aeiasha Lashley, Candela Martin, Julia Santos, Irene Romero Molina, Lilian Shindle, Nia Trevino, and Rory Weizenegger.

                "All our practices are very difficult and we try to put the greatest effort into the practices and we want to get the best out of us," Montalvo said. "Expect good things from this team. We promise to fight until the end."

                WNCC will have a Navy and Gold scrimmage on Saturday, August 9 and then they will open the season for real August 22 and 23 at Ephriam, Utah, where they will face Northwest College and Yavapai College.

                The Cougars' first home match is slated for September 19 and 20 when they host Otero College and Trinidad State College.