2009-2010 News

Three Named to National All-Region Team

Postseason honors continue to roll in for the Westerner soccer team, with three players being named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region Team.

Chris Dwyer – a first-team All-American – was named to the NJCAA All West team by the NSCAA. Dwyer, a sophomore defenseman from England, was named to the first team.

Billy Forbes and Saeed Robinson were selected for the second team. Forbes is a freshman forward from Turks & Caicos Island, while Robinson is a freshman forward from Jamaica.

In just the second season of soccer, the men’s team advanced to the district finals after stopping Northern Oklahoma in the semis. The men fell to eventual national champion Tyler Junior College and finished the season at 16-5. The team has won the region in both of its years of existence.

“This is a very high honor for these players and for our college to be recognized nationwide,” said head coach Charles Long, the Region V men’s and women’s coach of the year.

Soccer All-Region Players

Nine members of the men's and women's regional championship teams were selected to the All-Region V teams.

MEN

Gerardo Acero, So., Las Vegas, Nev.

Chris Dwyer, So., England

Guilherme Sampaio, Fr., Arlington

Bill Jeffries, So., Denmark

Saeed Robinson, Fr., Jamaica

WOMEN

Peta Gaye-Soman, So., Jamaica

Lindsey Bardole, So., Round Rock

Kenesha Reid, Fr., Jamaica

Tanesia Vassel, Fr. Jamaica

Additionally, Peta-Gaye Soman was named to the NJCAA second team All-American squad and Chris Dwyer of the Region V championship men's soccer team was named to the All-American First Team. Dwyer, a sophomore forward from England was the sixth highest vote-getter in the nation.

WTC Soccer Dominates Region V

Western Texas College has two more championship banners to hang from the rafters.

Both soccer teams won the Region V tournament over the weekend – the first for the Lady Westerners and the second in as many years for the Westerners.

“Great wins over the weekend,” said head coach Charles Long.

The 11th-ranked Lady Westerners, who finished as runners-up in Region V last year, blanked Cisco College, 2-0. Cisco tied the Lady Westerners, who went undefeated in district, earlier in the regular season. Peta-Gaye Soman and Kenisha Reid.

“Cisco tied us earlier and they are a good team,” Long said. “I thought both teams played very well.”

The Lady Westerners will take on the winning team from Arizona -- Paradise Valley Community College at 10 a.m. Saturday at Midlothian High School. The opposing semifinal team has not been announced.

The Westerners crushed Hill College, 5-1, with a pair of goals by Igor Dias. Three other players got into the act as The Westerners celebrated their second regional title in their second year of existence.

The Westerners will play at 6 p.m. Friday at Tyler Junior College against Northern Oklahoma. The Westerners will be in whites.

The other semifinalists are Tyler and Mississippi Gulf Coast, who will battle at 4 p.m. Friday.

The championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday.

Should the teams advance, the men will play in the national tournament in Mercer, New Jersey and the girls will play at Tyler.

De Lira and Morales Share Passion for Game

Andrew De Lira and Alex Morales share an extreme passion for the game of soccer. The two sophomores come from two totally different backgrounds – De Lira is from Lake Travis and Morales from Las Vegas Nevada – but their love for the game is still the same.

“We have a really tight group this year,” said Morales.

The soccer team had another successful season in its second year and is continuing to work hard with the Region V Tournament, set for today.

De Lira has been playing soccer his entire life and has found that he enjoys coaching the sport as well.  In high school, he coached youth soccer and the freshman team.

“I like to keep people laughing but still working hard. I respected my players so in return they respected me,” he said.

Moving to Snyder hasn’t been much different for De Lira, who says he just had to get used to the smallness of the town but everything else was pretty much the same as his hometown.

As for Morales though, the move to Snyder was a huge adjustment.  Morales said that when he received an offer to play soccer at Western Texas College he had never heard of it.

“There definitely isn’t as much to do here as back home,” he said.

De Lira and Morales both agreed that WTC is a good place to start.

“You can get your basics out of the way at an affordable price,” said De Lira.

Both said the diversity of the student population is one of the most positive parts of the college experience.

“It has a good pace and allows me to meet people from all over,” said Morales.

 Both said that the team this year is very close and all the teammates and coaches share the same love for the game. 
“Coach Long is very laid back but at the same disciplined and tough,” said Morales.

Both players have their sights on continuing their educations and hopefully their soccer careers as well.

De Lira plans to transfer to Texas A&M University and major in petroleum engineering or coaching.  Morales plans to go wherever he gets an offer to play soccer, but if he had his choice he said he would like to attend TTU or UNLV.

The team was set to face off against Hill College in the Region V championship tilt at 3 p.m. at Ranger College. WTC is looking for its second regional crown in as many years.

WTC in Both Region V Soccer Championships

The Western Texas College soccer teams dominated Region V again in their second year of existence, and will put that prowess to the test when both teams lace up for regional championship matches.

The Lady Westerners, who crushed Ranger in the first round, 7-1, will battle a solid Cisco College squad at noon at Ranger College. The Lady Westerners beat Cisco at home and tied them on the road.  The Ladies are the top seed in the tournament and suffered just one loss in the regular season.

The Lady Westerners (15-1-1) also had an unblemished conference record, going 5-0-1. The team outscored conference opponents, 21-1.

The regular season was highlighted by a 2-1 win over Navarro College, which was ranked number one in the country at the time.

The ladies were runners-up to Hill College in last year’s Regional tournament.

“Before last year, Cisco had won it eight years in a row, but Hill dethroned them and we are looking to keep them off the throne,” said head coach Charles Long.

The Westerners (13-4) received a first-round bye and will take on Hill College at 3 p.m. at Ranger in the title tilt. The men outscored Hill, 9-1, in the two games the teams played this season.

The squad was forged by a tougher non-conference schedule and the men are the favorites to claim their second Regional title in as many years.

Both contests will be broadcast on 91.1 FM KGWB and will be streamed on the Internet at kgwbradio.com.

Should WTC win, the women would take on a team from Arizona while the men would battle with a squad from Oklahoma.

(9-16-09) - The Western Texas College soccer clubs scored a pair of wins Tuesday over Hill College at Travis Field, with the men recording a shutout to move to 5-1.

The men's team defeated Hill College 4-0 behind goals from Chris Dwyer, Pernell Nembila, Billy Forbes and Saeed Robinson.

The women improved to 6-0 after a 4-2 victory over Hill. Melissa Sanchez scored two goals and Lindsey Bardole and Peta-Gaye Soman each recorded a goal apiece.

The men return to action Friday at 4 p.m. against Coastal Bend College and will play San Jacinto --the number two ranked team in the country -- at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Both matches will be at Travis Field.

The women will host the number one team in the country -- Navarro College -- at 1:30 on Saturday.

Western Texas Soccer Knocks Off Howard Payne

(9-2-09) - Western Texas College soccer clubs swept a pair of games against Howard Payne University on Tuesday in Brownwood, with the women claiming a 6-2 win and the men earning a 3-1 decision.

Creeia Nuckols, a sophomore forward from Frisco, celebrated her birthday with a goal and an assist.

“They were solid teams and it was a good test for us,” said head coach Charles Long.

The Westerners (2-0) and the Lady Westerners (2-0) will have their home debut on Saturday at Travis Field against Cloud Community College. The women will take the pitch at 2 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at 4 p.m.

Western Texas Soccer Earns Weekend Sweeps

(8-31-09) - The Western Texas College Soccer teams opened the season on the road this weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams claiming shutout victories in every contest.

Both clubs traveled to Kansas this weekend, with WTC taking on Coffeeville Community College on Saturday and Independence Community College on Sunday.

At Coffeeville, the men won 4-0 behind goals from Chris Dwyer, Bill Jeffries, Igor Dias and Josh Nuckols. The women blanked Coffeeville 8-0, with Creeia Nuckols and Peta-Gaye Soman delivering two goals each. Lindsey Bardole also added a goal.

On Sunday at Independence, both clubs let loose, with the men hammering independence, 10-0, while the women easily handled their counterparts, 14-0. Coach Charles Long said it was an easy day on the pitch.

Both clubs are 2-0 on the season and will travel to Brownwood on Tuesday to battle Howard Payne University. The home opener for both clubs is Saturday at Travis Field when both squads will host Cloud Community College.