The Western Nebraska Community College men's soccer team received a penalty kick goal from JP Santos with under four minutes to play to earn a Region IX 2-1 win over Otero Junior College Friday afternoon at the Landers Soccer Complex.

                The Cougar's win Friday was a huge confidence boost after WNCC entered Friday on a 3-game losing skid. JP Santos, said the team played pretty well and they really needed a win like this.

                "I think we played well. It was a hard game and we learned a lot," the sophomore from Brasilia, Brazil, said. "It is very important win because we have been playing well but not winning. We have been losing because of small mistakes, but we fixed the mistakes."

                The big key for the Cougars was how they stayed strong especially in the second half when all the scoring was scored. Santos said they did the right things to get the ball in the back of the net.

                "We were playing well the first half," he said. "Then in the second half we picked it up and did the right plays and scored today."

                Otero and WNCC are two evenly matched teams and it showed in the first half and much of the second.

                Neither team scored in the first 45 minutes and it wasn't until the 72^nd minute that freshman Lawan Abary took a pass from Gage Smith and found the back of the net to put WNCC on top with an electrifying goal.

                The Cougar defense responded after that goal shutting down the Otero offense. The Rattlers, however, knotted the score at 1-1 in the 83^rd minute as Bryan Gonzalez scored off an assist from Carter McGee.

                With both teams playing an evenly, it seemed like the two teams were headed for overtime. With 3:44 to play, things changed as Santos took a penalty kick and found the back of the net for the 2-1 lead. After that, WNCC defense stayed strong for their fourth win of the season.

                Otero outshot WNCC 17-11 and even had more corner kicks six to four. The difference was the Cougars will to win.

                The WNCC men, 4-5 on the season, will get a stiff test against a Trinidad State Junior College team who is 8-2 after falling to Laramie County Community College 3-0 on Friday. Saturday's men's game with Trinidad will begin at 4:30 p.m. at Landers.