The Western Nebraska Community College women's soccer team has high goals this season and the biggest is to notch as many wins as possible.

                A year ago, the Cougars women won just twice on the pitch and this season sophomore Vanessa Vasquez of Aurora, Colorado, said this team has already set high goals.

                "I think our biggest goal this season is to get some wins," Vasquez said. "We want to be regional champions and even make it to nationals. Obviously, we have really big goals, and I think that in order to reach them we need to work as a team and trust each other as well as committing ourselves to the game. We need to use everything that we have to our advantage, and right now it's our new coaching staff. We have two new coaches that have a lot of experience and skill and I think that they will be a key part of our team being successful this season, as long as we all listen and learn from them."

                Joining head coach Todd Rasnic on the staff are former players Ivan Sakou and Silvio Xavier.  Both of these former Cougars went on to have successful four-year careers and have instilled new life into the soccer program at WNCC.

                "The first couple of practices have been pretty great," Andrea Jimenez of Denver, Colorado, said. "Getting to know the team every season is always a wonderful experience. The coaches have pushed us above our limits both mentally and physically to strive for this season and the Region 9 tournament."

                Last year the Cougars didn't score a lot of goals. That will not be the case this season as Sakou and Xavier have helped the team in that capacity.

                "I think we have a lot of talent and I feel like all of your new girls are filling in the spots that we were missing," Vasquez said. "I think that they have the right mentality and talent to help us get to where we want to be."

                That goal-scoring ability was evident at the alumni game on Saturday where the Cougars scored seven goals in earning the 7-0 win over their alumni, including former players from Scottsbluff and Colorado.

                Jimenez had the big day on the pitch as the sophomore scored a haul, a soccer term for scoring four goals in a match. Jimenez scored the first two goals in the game and then had her third just a couple minutes into the second half. Jimenez added her fourth goal with 16:20 left in the match to make it 5-0.

                Vazquez had two goals in the contest, the last two goals of the match. The other goal came from freshman Aileen Perez from Thornton, Colorado.

                With what they did on the pitch on Saturday, it shows just how much talent is among the returners and the newcomers and that is what is making things bright for the women's soccer team this season and trying to win their third Region IX soccer title in school history. The last time the team won regionals was 2008.

                "I think that everyone is doing amazing and you can definitely see that all of our freshman really want to play and have the talent to do so," Vasquez said. "I also think that the sophomores are really helping the new girls get into everything and I think that as a whole, my team had really stood out. I don't think particularly anyone in specific stands out, but I think that freshman want to earn their spots and the sophomores and going to make them work for it as well so I think that for now, everyone is working hard."

                The Cougar women return eight players that saw action on the pitch a year ago. The eight returners, besides Jimenez and Vasquez, include Scottsbluff's Izzy and Cali Wright, Hazel Cardenas of Aurora, Colorado, Yoseline Hernandez and Yasmin Rojas of Commerce City, Colorado, and Vicky Granda of Quito, Ecuador.

                Another player that was at WNCC the past two seasons but had to sit out because of injuries is Hailey Kwiatkowski of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but Kwiatkowski is excited that she gets to suit up this year and play.

                These nine players that have already have the Cougar culture will be joined by a freshman class that has plenty of talent. Leading the list is Tania Razo of Aurora, Colorado. Razo scored 56 goals for her DSST Green Valley Ranch High School teams a year ago and has score 80 goals in two seasons.

                Other players to watch include Natalya Baird-Watson of Mullumbimby, New South Wales; Jackie Castro of Aurora, Colorado; Aileen Perez of Thornton, Colorado, Lesley Vasquez of Denver, Colorado, and Summer Parnell of Hastings.

                Other newcomers include Deboora Pires Lopes, Sara Rebeca, and Taila Viera.

                Jimenez said the freshmen have really stepped up.

                "I can say that our freshmen this year have stood out like no other," she said. "For those who are internationals, they face that culture shock and yet adapt like no other because of the one sport that unites us. For the rest of the freshmen they are faced with a different style of playing and I can see it within them the change they want to become both in and out of the field."

                Jimenez added this team has all the makings of doing something great.

                "This year's team has a lot of potential without a doubt," Jimenez said. "Each and every player has a special skill that can provide a great input to the team. A lot of the girls are already striving for success as it is and I can wait for them to grow as individual and as players."

                The goals for the women's team are easy. First it is to win as many games as possible and the second is they want to win the regionals and go to nationals in Evans, Georgia.

                "As a team we have a lot of goals in mind," Jimenez said. "For instance, many of the sophomores are looking forward to winning most of the games and in hopes of winning the Region 9 tournament. The key to reaching our goals would be pushing ourselves mentally and physically within trainings. The way we train is definitely going to reflect how we play."

                Vasquez said the team is coming together and learning about each other as they build that team bond. They will see where they are at on Saturday, Aug. 6 when they have their first scrimmage against WNCC alumni.

                "I feel like we have been through a lot of big points as to where and what we want to accomplish as a team and I feel like this game will be the first game where we put it to the test," Vasquez said. "I think our girls are not 100 percent ready but I know for a fact that they will put up a fight. I also think it will be a good start to see where we still need work individually and as a team and I think that we will definitely work our hardest on Saturday."

                While the team adapts to all the new faces, the other thing the team is adapting to is the record heat that saw temperatures in the upper 90s and lower 100s this week.

                "The heat is certainly another challenge that we face when we are training," Jimenez said. "Feeling dehydrated and hot makes us a bit tired but thankfully the coaches give us our water breaks."

                After the alumni game that was played on Saturday, the Cougars will have two more scrimmages on Aug. 13 against Metro State and then Aug. 20 against Black Hills State. The Cougars will open the season on Aug. 26 when they face Hutchinson Community College in Sterling, Colorado, and then Northeastern Junior College on Aug. 28 in Sterling, Colorado.

                Vasquez added that with everything they are dealing with during training, she is excited for the upcoming season and ready to get going.

"I want to just add that I am very excited for this season and ready to see what we accomplish as team," she said. "I want to see our freshman grow and help this team get to where we want to be, also very excited to work with all three of our coaches this year.