CHEYENNE, WY – In a battle between the only Region IX ranked teams in men's soccer, #16 Laramie County Community College came out on top against a determined Casper College roster who entered the game ranked eleventh in the nation.
The Golden Eagles had to wait until the final 15 minutes to get the opening goal on a Roy Mendoza-Huerta strike, but their defense played lights out and they picked up some strong goalie work from freshman Luke Hyatt who recorded his second consecutive clean sheet of the season.
The first half was controlled by the Thunderbirds who limited the Golden Eagles to just two shots in the first 45 minutes while taking seven of their own. Not many of those found the frame, but Hyatt made two saves, including one on a rocket that he deflected off the crossbar to keep the game level at zero late in the opening half.
"I've been working on my reactions so those are a bit quicker now, but Jonathan (Ruvalcaba) was actually in front of the ball so I didn't see it until it came around him and just gave a flick of the hand for a nice save," Hyatt said.
LCCC changed the mood of the game in the second half as their defense cut the Casper shot count in half, giving up only three shots while taking another five of their own.
"We definitely have to give (Casper) credit, they took the first half, and I will give it to them," Head Coach Fernando Perez said. "I just told the guys they needed more energy, and they responded to what I asked for and they did well."
Problems in finding the frame plagued the Golden Eagles though. Of their seven shots in the game, only one was on goal, but it was the one they needed.
After a deflection out of the box, Mendoza-Huerta took a ball from 25 yards out and rifled it past the keeper through a forest of other players. Perez said it's just another example of him stepping up as a captain.
"For him coming into this year, the positivity that he brings, the maturity, the level of him just being a great captain, I think a lot of guys look up to him and it's awesome."
The goal was a shock that Casper was never able to overcome and LCCC finished off the win with solid defensive work.
That makes five in a row for the Golden Eagles who expect to move up in the national polls this week after moving to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
The team isn't just playing well, but they are working together well in every aspect and Hyatt said they are continuing to get closer.
"We feel great. All of us, we are just real close," Hyatt said.
"They continue to impress me and they continue to show that they want to do something big this year," Perez concluded.
They will remain home this coming weekend with matches against Northeastern Junior College on Friday and Lamar Community College on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm. More information on these matches and the full schedule can be found at www.golccc.com.