Two multi-goal wins opened the home and Region IX campaign for the Northwest College women’s soccer team, as the Trappers defeated visiting Trinidad State College 7-0 and Otero College 3-1.

NORTHWEST 7, TRINIDAD 0

The teams played in windy conditions  on Friday, as the Trappers (2-2-1 overall, 2-0 Region IX) welcomed in the Trojans (0-7 overall, 0-2 Region IX).

Northwest started on the front foot, attacking with the wind in their favor, as the Trappers got on the board 16 minutes in.

Amelia Grace Franklin stole the ball from a goal kick and fired it home to make it 1-0.

“The first game was very tough because there was very little pressure (from Trinidad),” coach Rob Hill said. “We had a lot of time and space on the ball, so I felt like the first half was a little bit sloppy, a little bit slow, too many loose passes.”

Around 10 minutes later, Kassidi Webb received the ball from a long ball behind the defense and fired it home to make it 2-0.

Payton Mund got on the board with 12:25 left in the half, and Ellie Young added another with 4:24 left to make it 4-0.

The Trappers and Young weren’t done in the first half, as she added one final goal to her tally with 1:13 remaining to make it 5-0 going into the break.

Northwest added another from Mund seven minutes into the second half, and Grace Franklin got the final goal with 15 minutes remaining to make the final score 7-0.

“The second half I felt like we got so many more patterns in that we’d worked on in practice. A little bit more fluid in the game, and then it was nice to see us finish,” Hill said. “The hard thing about those games is: Can you set your own tempo, set your own pace? And the second half I thought they adjusted to that better.”

NORTHWEST 3, OTERO 1

The Rattlers (0-2-3 overall, 0-1-1 Region IX) came to town Saturday.

Northwest had the better opportunities for much of the first half, but it was the visitors striking first.

A ball on a quick counter attack found its way into the back of the net, and the Rattlers took the lead with 39 seconds left in the half.

“They were much more of a challenge, much more pressure on the ball. But I felt like we started well in the game. We dominated, say 70% of the possession,” Hill said. “We didn’t have the end product, and they got a goal. So going in at halftime, I was a bit disappointed because I thought we played well.”

The Trappers equalized eight minutes into the second half, as Young fired one into the net off a rebound to make it 1-1.

Northwest took the lead after a corner kick bounced around in the box before Kali Bach put home the shot and made
it 2-1.

Bach got her second midway through the half, as the Trappers dominated possession much of the second half and earned the 3-1 win.

“Kali up front made a big difference. She was able to be really strong, and run through players,” Hill said. “There’s nothing really finesse about her. It’s just power and strength, so she made a big difference going up top and getting two goals. That was awesome for her.”

TOUGH TESTS

The Trappers now head on the road for a pair of Region IX contests, starting with a game at 5 p.m. on Friday against Casper College (2-3-1 overall, 0-1 Region IX).

Northwest then continues on to the northeast, taking on Gillette College (4-2-0 overall, 1-0 Region IX) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“A very tough weekend coming up,” Hill said. “Two very hard games on the road, but we’ve certainly given ourselves a good start with six points and only conceding one goal.”