Western Nebraska Community College’s Daniel Matty found a connection at Missouri Valley College that made his decision to sign with the Vikings an easy one.
Matty signed the early part of March with Missouri Valley because of the relationship he made with former Cougar soccer player and now Missouri Valley assistant coach Mark Campbell.
“Coach Campbell, who is a WNCC alumni, came in contact and we built a comfortable relationship between ourselves,” he said. “I would say they are one of the best teams in the country and that was my approach to moving on to compete somewhere and better myself. I think I can do that at Missouri Valley.”
Missouri Valley went 15-7 a year ago and falling in the quarterfinals of the NAIA tourney to Lindsey Wilson College 1-0.
Matty, who came to WNCC from England, is excited that he continues to keep competing.
“I am super excited [to be playing at the next level],” he said. “I compete every day with everything I do in school. Everything I do is a competition so to take that into soccer at the next level is amazing.”
Matty has improved in his two years at WNCC mainly as a defender. His freshman season he started all 15 matches and didn’t score or have an assist, but that is the nature for a defender. His sophomore season saw Matty start all 17 matches and finished with two goals and an assist for five points.
“I have improved in so many different aspects,” he said. “My style has changed completely coming from England. I feel I see the game better since when I first came here.”
In two seasons at WNCC, the men’s soccer team had a combined 19-13 record. WNCC lost in the quarterfinals to Laramie County Community College 1-0 when Matty was a freshman. Last year, the team went 10-7 and lost in the semifinals to LCCC 4-0.
Matty said the one thing that he won’t miss, in a sense, is the early morning conditions, even though it was surreal to see the beauty in the morning workouts.
“I am glad I don’t have them when I am in school, but in August everyone is new and quiet and the sun is just rising,” he said. “It is just great to be out there everyone as a team and family and practicing.”
That is why it will hard for him to say goodbye to WNCC after May.
“I have five suitcases and I will cross that when it comes,” he said. “At the beginning I was excited to leave but as it is coming to the time of leaving, I feel like their will be an empty place left in me. I see Scottsbluff and WNCC as my first home. I moved away from my mom and my family and this was the first place I came. I have grown up and I have became an independent person. It will be tough leaving.”
Matty said there are many that made his time at WNCC special.
“I want to thank Coach [Todd] Rasnic for giving me the opportunity to come here and putting up with me for two years,” he said. “I would like to thank Doug Jones, who has taken great care of me here. He is our athletic trainer but he is so much more than that; he is someone you can go and talk to. And to Mark for the endless pictures of us. My teammates, too, for making it two amazing years. I have met some amazing guys from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, from all over the place. It was a great experience. My thanks goes out to them.”
