Plainswomen to Host First Round of Playoffs
The Plainswomen soccer team has secured their spot in the Region IX tournament after finishing second in the south division. Last season, in their inaugural campaign, the Plainswomen also made playoffs, but had to travel for the first round. This year however, the ladies were able to take care of business and put themselves in a position to have home field advantage.
The Plainswomen will host the #3 team from the North Division, the Western Wyoming Mustangs on Saturday October 21st at 2pm.
Head Coach Ken McAlpine commented "I'm very pleased with how the team performed in the region. Finishing 2nd in the South Division and hosting the first round of playoffs is a huge accomplishment for our new program. Especially for our 3 Sophomores who started this program last year, they can know with confidence that they helped build something the college and community can be proud of."
The sophomores this year include Jordan Will, Katie Saunders, and Sequoya Walker.
"It's an exciting opportunity for the girls. We got the results in the games that mattered most, and we feel like we are playing our best soccer of the season right now."
The final game of the regular season, the Plainswomen hosted Gillette College, which would give them a chance to tune up on any final adjustments that could be worked on. Although the Plainswomen lost to the Pronghorns 2-1, they were able to play well which helps going into post season.
"Even in our loss on Sunday against Gillette, I thought we played our best game of the season. We gave up two early, but after that, I felt like we controlled the game. The style of play that we have been working on all season is really clicking now, and I know this gives the girls confidence going into the postseason" added McAlpine.
Last time the Plainswomen played the Mustangs, the Mustangs were victorious, but NJC played better than their first game against them.
"All of our attention is now on Saturday and Western Wyoming. This is a team that has gotten the best of us this season, but we know we have not played very well in our games against them. I believe, and most importantly, the girls believe that we can compete and get the result we are looking for. They are eager to face them again—there is some hunger to prove themselves."
"What I know about our team is that they get up for big games. Every time I have circled a game on a calendar, played it up, talked about it every day in training, they have responded with a win. This is why we were able to finish as high as we did in the regional standings. Obviously this game is huge for our program, so I'm excited to see how they respond to the challenge on Saturday."