The Snow College men's soccer team picked up a pair of victories at the Snow College Invitational last weekend in Ephraim. The Badgers defeated Northwest College 2-1 in the 2025 season opener before securing a convincing 3-1 win against No. 18 Western Nebraska Community College Saturday.
 
Snow got off to a controlling start, where they had majority possession for the first half. The Badgers outshot the Trappers seven shots to zero. The Badgers maintained the momentum through corner kicks, having six in the first half. 
 
The Trappers weren't going out without a fight as they were able to keep the Badgers' offense at bay in the first half as two shots on goal were turned away by the Trappers' goalie.
Northwest's offense came into the second half hot as it was able to find its footing, as it controlled a majority of the possession to start. 
 
Both sides started trading heavy hits and possessions into the later parts of the half. The dam broke when Mateus Romualdo scored the first goal of the game for Snow College in the 70th minute. Following a foul just outside the 18-yard box, Romualdo fired the free kick into the top left corner of the goal to beat the keeper, giving the Badgers the 1-0 lead. 
 
It didn't take long for the Trappers to strike back as they scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute. Both sides got chippy after that point, jostling for control and the chance to score the potential game-winner.
 
The Badgers were able to find the dagger in the 89th minute. Mathias Christensen poked away a Northwest corner kick to start a break. Issac Stanley led the break and fed a pass ahead to JJ Cubillas, who split two defenders and deked the keeper, and found the back of the net. The Badgers were able to salt away the remaining minutes to secure the victory, 2-1.
 
Snow College finished the game with 22 shots, 10 of which were on net, and 11 corner kicks. In goal, Christensen recorded four saves and allowed just one goal. Northwest finished the day with eight shots, five of which were on net, and seven corner kicks. 
 
Snow College started hot against WNCC, putting multiple shots up early with many chances coming off of eight corner kicks. The Badgers got one home in the 34th minute with Kade Davis knocking in a header into the top left of the net just above the keeper off an Issac Stanley corner kick. 
 
Snow College kept its foot on the gas, scoring the second goal of the game in the 44th off the foot of Omar Sagiv, who was able to find the net off an Issac Stanley free kick that got deflected by the keeper. Sagiv was able to secure the deflections and power it in, bringing the Badgers to a 2-0 lead. 
 
The Badgers held control for a majority of the first 45, putting up seven shots, two of which found the net and eight corners. The Snow College defense limited the Cougars to just one shot and with no corners allowed in the first half. 

WNCC came into the second half with renewed vigor, testing the Snow College defense early. The Badgers were able to withstand the early onslaught by the Cougars, settling in as both sides started trading possessions. 
 
The Badgers broke through in the 79th minute, scoring their third goal of the game and bringing the score to 3-0. JJ Cubillas was able to knock in the score off the rebound of a shot he had just taken, burying it into the left side of the net past the goalkeeper. 
 
The Cougars were able to find the net in the 81st minute after capitalizing on a free kick just outside the 18-yard box to bring the score to 3-1. WNCC kept the pressure on the Snow College defense in the final 10 minutes of regulation, putting up five shots on the Badgers, but Snow College held strong and earned the victory, 3-1.
 
Snow College finished with 14 shots, eight of which were on net. Mathias Christensen finished the game with 5 saves on six shots faced. Cubillas scored his second goal of the year in as many games and currently leads the team. 
 
The Badgers will move to 2-0-0 to start the season. They will take on Otero Junior College at a neutral site on Thursday. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Bruin Soccer Field in Taylorsville, Utah. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.