CASPER, WY – The Laramie County Community College men picked up a thrilling 1-1 draw before a 17-16 shootout win over Casper College on Saturday afternoon to advance to the Region IX Championship game on November 5th.
After a scoreless first half it was Casper college to open the second half scoring with a strike in the 46th minute.
Sophomore Edgar Garcia was able to answer back in the 58th minute on an assist from freshman Mario Ramirez to draw the two teams at one all and two sides would end up that way at the end of regulation with the match heading to overtime.
Perez said he told his team it was important to just play their style of soccer in the second half. “There weren’t really any adjustments made. They scored on us early in the second half, but we’ve dealt with adversity and we got it done.”
After both overtimes wrapped up with no scoring, it went to PK’s and what a session it was.
Casper College missed on their first penalty, but the Golden Eagles also missed on their third. Casper missed in the fourth attempt and with a chance to close it out, LCCC missed on their fifth attempt to send it to extra’s.
The drama wasn’t tight enough for just a few extras, and it took 19 kickers to decide the final with Laramie County's closing out the final round after a Casper miss off the crossbar.
“We had good energy,” Perez said of the mood through the penalties. “You know, we had our anxiety and some nerves but I trusted the guys who were out there and our keeper to get the job done and he did.”
The Golden Eagles really shined on the defensive end and limited Casper to just 11 shots in the match and Perez said they have really put in the work to not just get better physically, but mentally.
“(The defense) has come a long way,” he said. “They’ve learned the advantages of staying disciplined on defense.”
The win means Laramie County will face the winner of Otero and Northeastern Junior College in the Region IX championship next Saturday on November 5th. Time’s have not been announced, but Perez says is just helps cement that this is the power of committing to a team.
“It definitely shows the guys that it pays to stay disciplined and committed to the program and the core values,” he said. “Now we have the potential to go to Florida (for the national tournament).”
Information on the Region IX Championship will be released on www.golccc.com in the coming days, and will be shared along on social media as well.