The Western Nebraska Community College men's soccer team garnered five players on the South All-region team that was announced recently while head coach Todd Rasnic was named the South Coach of the Year.
Rasnic guided the Cougar men to a 9-6 record this past season before falling in the first round of the Region IX playoffs to Laramie County Community College 1-0. LCCC would go on to win the Region IX title.
Rasnic just completed his 14th season as the men's soccer coach and has guided the team to a school record 12-6 record two years ago. In the last five years, Rasnic has a 42-26-3 record.
While Rasnic earned the South Coach of the Year honors, four Cougars earned South All-region first team honors while another earned South second-team honors.
Silvio Xavier, who signed last week with Bethel University in Kentucky, and Ramses Atahualpa each earned First Team South all-region honors as forwards. Xavier finished last season with eight goals and five assists, while Atahualpa finished with eight goals and 10 assists.
Also nabbing first-team honors as Thomas Franze as a midfielder. Franze, a sophomore, finished the season with one goal and four assists.
Earning First Team South defender honors was freshman Vinicius Viana.
WNCC's Daniel Matty, a freshman, earned second-team South All-region for a defender.
Other members of the First Team include forwards Jean Carre of NJC and Marcus Horwood of Central-Columus; midfielders Arturo Chairez of Otero, Dani Van Steijn of NJC, and Hakim Williams of Trinidad; defenders Gaetan Garcia of NJC, Isaiah Alexander of Otero, and Ronaldo Watson of Trnidad; and goalkeeper Petar Pesic of Otero.
Second-team South All-region players include forwards Diego Garrido of Otero, Christopher Badibengi and Iahleel Cunningham of Trinidad, Maurice Von Winkler of NJC, and Luis Tovar of CCC-Columbus; midfielders Bryson Chiles and Sebastian Garcia of Otero, Quenstin Hornung of NJC, and Peterson Costa of CCC-Columbus; defenders Alexandro Ayala and Jesse Flores of Otero, and Pim con Zoest of NJC; and goalkeeper Luc Denisselle of NJC.
NJC's Carre, a sophomore, earned South Most Valuable Player honors while Freshman of the Year was shared between Otero's Bryson Chiles and NJC's Luc Denisselle.