ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – Rhiannon Castle scored a hat trick and the Western Nebraska Community College women's soccer team secured a first-round home playoff match after defeating Western Wyoming Community College 4-1 Saturday afternoon in Rock Springs, Wyo.

                The Cougar men weren't as fortunate, dropping a 1-0 contest to the Mustangs. The loss eliminates the Cougars from post-season play after tying with Sheridan College for fourth place. Sheridan gets the nod because of the tiebreaker.

                WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said the women's team played well.

And it was Castle that was on fire. Not only did she score three goals, but she nearly had a fourth when she took a penalty kick and the goalkeeper saved the ball. Then, on the rebound off the save, Castle delivered another shot which the goalkeeper saved again.

                Anyway, the WNCC women (7-4-1) dominated from start to finish in the contest, finishing with 19 shots to just four for Western Wyoming.

                Castle started her scoring early, too. Scoring twice in the first half just two minutes apart. Castle's first came off an assist from Eden Washington. Castle netted her second goal minutes later as Kennedy Lawes feed her the ball for the 2-0 lead.

                Lawes made it 3-0 as she netted a goal before half. It was Chelsey Keefer that picked up the assist for the halftime lead.

                Western Wyoming came back to score in the second half to slice the lead to 3-1, but Castle finished off the hat trick by scoring her third goal off an assist from Ali Green for the 4-1 lead.

                WNCC goalkeeper Sierra Benavides had six saves in net.

                While the Cougar women were making shots, the Cougar men couldn't find the back of the net. The contest was a defensive contest as Western Wyoming had 10 shots to WNCC's six. Neither team scored in the first half and much of the second half. Finally, with 10 minutes to play, the Mustangs put a shot in for the 1-0 lead.

                That is the way the game ended.

                Both teams will have one regular season contest left as they travel to Goodland, Kan., to face Northwest Kansas Technical College on Tuesday.

                The women will then host either Northwest College or Trinidad State in the play-in game for the Regional tournament on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. at the Landers Soccer Complex with the winner advancing to the Region IX tournament in Denver the first weekend of November.