WNCC soccer wins opener

Talk about starting off the season with a bang.

It took the Western Nevada Community College women's soccer team all of 33 seconds to show that it could compete at the collegiate level on its way to a 2-0 win over Mendocino on Saturday at the Redwoods Tournament in Eureka, Calif.

To say that WNCC made a statement in its first ever game would be an understatement.

"It's a really nice start," WNCC coach Hillary Arthur said. "They came out and made a statement for sure. A real strong statement."

It took just 33 seconds for WNCC to score when Douglas High's Savannah Gray took the ball outside the goal box, beat two defenders, fell down, got back up and scored. In the 25th minute of the first half, WNCC scored again when Jessica Maule of Douglas took the ball outside the goal box and sent a shot into the left corner of the net.

WNCC also received a strong effort from defenders Hannah Lee, Carson's Courtney Hayes, Melissa Dacchio and Dominique Gloude.

"Dominique Gloude did a tremendous job," Arthur said. "Defensively we were organized. We did a good job of swinging."

Lee, Dacchio and Hayes also got into the act offensively as all had shots that bounced off the post.

The Wildcats had more than 20 shots on goal and Arthur did say her team needs to improve on finishing its scoring chances. "One thing we definitely need to work on is finishing," she said.

Midfielder Melissa Goldfin also played well for WNCC. "She was a real playmaker for us," Arthur said. "She had an awesome game."

WNCC concludes play in the tournament today against host Redwoods.