If the Western Nebraska Community College women's soccer team ever needed a signature win, Saturday was the day to get it.

                WNCC was outshot 18-9, but it was the play of the Cougar defense and freshman goalkeeper Sierra Benavidez that proved stellar as the Cougars scored two late goals in shutting out a powerful Otero Junior College team 2-0 in Region IX Conference play Saturday afternoon at the Landers Soccer Complex.

                The defense, however, was just part of the reason they Cougars captured the win. The other was some timely scoring where WNCC scored twice with under 16 minutes to play for the win.

                Benavidez said this was a big win for the team.

                "We played really well together," Benavidez said. "The defense was amazing. We couldn't have won this game without them stepping up."

                The freshman goalkeeper from Sterling, Colorado, kept calm in net, even though she said it was intense in the box. Benavidez had eight saves in net as she put up a brick wall in front of the net.

                "It was intense the whole game," Benavidez said. "I had to be on my toes."

                The biggest highlight for Benavidez, though, was watching her team celebrate the first goal of the contest when freshman Janie McAmis scored on a lopped kick over the Otero goal keeper's head with 15:29 to play.

                "It was excitement [when I saw Janie score the goal]," she said. "I was jumping with joy."

                McAmis, from Belle Fourche, South Dakota, said she just did what coach Todd Rasnic told them to do and hammered a shot that found the back of the net.

                "Coach kept telling us to take shots from far out when we got the chance," she said. "We needed to penetrate in the middle. I just ripped a shot to see if it would go in.

                McAmis said this win was a huge team win, especially the way the defense played.

                "This is a pretty big win for us," I think Otero is ranked [in the preseason] so winning is good for our team. It was a big team effort and we are coming a long ways as a team.

                For much of the contest, Otero was dictating play with the ball being played around the midfield line or in the Rattlers' offensive end. Otero had nine shots on goal in each half and even recorded 10 corner kicks to WNCC's two.

                Otero 's best chance to score came with about 20 seconds into the second half when a shot hit the bar and bounced out. The Cougars biggest chances to score came in the second half. First, with about 17:52 to play, Kennedy Lawes had a good scoring opportunity on a breakaway that went.

                Two minutes later, WNCC finally broke the scoreless match. Hannah Wilke fed Lawes with a pass who delivered the ball to McAmis for the lofted shot that clearly sailed over the goalkeeper's head.

                WNCC had a couple more chances after that for insurance goals, but misfired. The insurance goal the Cougars finally got, though, came with a minute to play off of only the team's second corner kick of the contest.

                Aiyanna Grubac hit the corner kick and two WNCC players went up for a header. Karrigan Hanson headed the ball backwards to Kennedy Lawes who planted the ball in the back of the net from just outside the box for the score.

                WNCC, who is tied in the conference race with Northwest College, both with 2-0 marks, will next be in action Sept. 18 and 19 when they travel to Sheridan College and Northwest College.