RCTC women's soccer team looks to continue strong run in postseason play

Guy N. Limbeck, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Oct. 20—ROCHESTER — After splitting a pair of regular-season games, the Rochester Community and Technical College women's soccer team will face Lake Superior College with more on the line in a third and deciding meeting.

RCTC (8-2-3) will host Lake Superior College (5-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the NJCAA Region XIII championship game. The winner advances to the district tournament and will be two wins away from a Division III national berth.

The Yellowjackets beat Lake Superior 4-0 in Duluth and then lost 1-0 at home back in September. It was after the second meeting that the Yellowjackets had a bit of a revelation.

"That was really the turning point in the season of, 'Are we here to just play the season or are we really going to follow through on the goals that we started the season with,'" RCTC coach Bryan Weiss said.

The Yellowjackets decided they were going to try and achieve their lofty goals. Since the last meeting between the two teams, the Yellowjackets have gone 2-0-3, including convincing wins over both of the Division III NJCAA teams they played.

"We feel really good," Weiss said. "We've been clicking as a team."

During the strong five-game stretch to close the regular season, RCTC has been playing a lot more physically. Weiss said games against some four-year colleges have helped the Yellowjackets prepare in that regard.

The offense has been clicking and the defense has remained strong.

"We're just getting better at the things we've been trying to do all season," Weiss said. "We're just playing faster, get the ball off our feet and try to move it around and try to pick apart the other team by finding those passing lanes."

Goalkeeper Jordan Weber has been strong in the net for RCTC all season. She has started all 13 games and allowed just six goals with a save percentage at 90.5% while posting seven shutouts.

Amy Gonzalez, who will go on to play at the Division II level, has been the leader of the defensive unit.

"She's just been solid every single minute of every single game," Weiss said.

One concern for the Yellowjackets heading into the postseason is Mia Pierre's health. Pierre is the team's leading scorer (nine goals, four assists) and has missed two games with an injury. The St. Charles native might be sidelined on Saturday.

The Yellowjackets have had some good balance in scoring this season, however, as midfielder Haley Doyea (eight goals, six assists) along with forwards Mackenzie Polson (five goals, four assists) and Rochester's Mongi Obang (five goals, three assists) have all been strong offensive producers.

Dover-Eyota grad Allison Thompson (two goals, three assists) has been a physical presence in the middle of the field who has been a strong passer.

The Yellowjackets are now in win-or-go-home mode for the rest of the season and they face a tough path if they hope to reach the national tournament. The RCTC-Lake Superior winner advances to the district semifinals next Friday to face the Region 4 winner.

If the Yellowjackets reach the district title game, a likely match with Delta College out of Michigan will loom. Delta (11-1-2) has reached the NJCAA Division III national title game each of the past five seasons.

"To get to nationals, we would have to play a perfect game against Delta to move on," Weiss said. "We still have to win those two games before and we're not overlooking that. But if you beat Delta, you earned it."

There is no admission charge to attend Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Rochester Region Stadium and Weiss is hoping to have a strong fan turnout.