Golden Goal Win for Western

Photos Courtesy of Jen Atkinson

On Saturday the match between the Western Wyoming Mustangs and the Westminster JV Griffins was an instant classic.  The match action was fast and intense throughout, the 8 yellow cards and the 5 goals show the fast and intense action.
The Mustangs got on the scoreboard first in the 7th minute when a ball was sent to Andrew Newbold who corralled it and sent another through ball to Eric Ramirez who collected the ball and passed a great ball to Gunner Burrell who kicked the ball past the Westminster keeper for an early 1 - 0 Mustang lead.  The lead did not last long for the Mustangs as the Griffins found the back of the net in the 12th minute when a Westminster player was able to head in a corner kick past the Mustang markers and the Mustang keeper Austin Pinter.  With the score tied 1 - 1 the rest of the first half was played mainly in the midfield as both teams tried to prove their dominance in possession and look for chances against the other team.  The halftime score was 1 - 1.
The start of the second half played out much like the end of the first half with lots of midfield play and limited chances for both teams.  The match found it's groove and flow in the 73rd minute when Colton Cottrell sent a ball to Jesse Cardenas who calmly placed it into the bottom left corner of the goal for a Mustang lead 2 - 1.  Again the Mustang lead was not long, as the Griffins leveled the score two minutes later in the 75th minute.  The Westminster second goal was off of a free kick that a Griffin player was able to bring down in the box, turn, shoot and score the goal.  The score was again tied, this time at 2 - 2.  Both teams had chances to win the match in regulation time.  The Griffin's best chances all came on one play which included three blocks from WWCC keeper Austin Pinter with a clear from Colton Cottrell.  The opportunities for the Mustangs were taken by Gunner Burrell, Zac Roper, Chandler Young, Devian Kurete, Andrew Newbold and Jesse Cardenas.  Despite all the shots and chances the score at the end of 90 minutes was 2 - 2.
NJCAA rules state that after 90 minutes if the match is tied the teams play two, 10 minute overtime periods with the first team scoring being the winner.  If still tied after 20 additional minutes the match is considered a draw.  In the first overtime period the Mustangs continued to press and create chances.  There were only 4 shots in those 10 minutes and all came from the Mustangs; Andrew Newbold, Eric Ramirez, Jesse Cardenas and Carsen Tinker all had shots in the first overtime period.  As the second overtime started again it seemed as the Mustangs were the aggressor as they had a shot in the first seconds of the second extra period by Andrew Newbold.  The match winning shot came in the 103rd minute of play.  Carsen Tinker put away a chance and gave the Mustangs the win, the goal was assisted by Colton Cottrell.  The final score was WWCC 3 - Westminster JV 2.  The win brings the Mustang mark to 2 - 2 - 0 on the 2014 season.

Mustang Man of the Match - Jesse Cardenas - Jesse scored his first goal of the season along with 3 shots (all on frame) and was a great spark off of the bench.

Match Facts - Shots - WWCC 18 - WCJV 12; Assists - WWCC 3 - WCJV 2; Saves - WWCC 7 - WCJV 8; Corner Kicks - WWCC 5 - WCJV 3; Free Kicks - WWCC 8 - WCJV 9; Cards - WWCC 5 - WCJV 3.

Up Next for the Mustangs - vs Northwest College (REGION IX NORTH) at Rock Springs WY, Rock Springs Junior High (3500 Foothill Blvd) on Friday September 5th at 5pm.