Six second half goals and another shutout conclude Cougar Soccer regular season

The Barton Community College men's soccer team closed out the regular season Saturday at the Cougar Soccer Complex with its eighth shutout of the season with an 8-0 victory over Northwest Kansas Technical College.   Scoring two goals in two minutes to lead at the halftime break, Barton sent waves of Cougars on to the pitch exploding for six second half net shakers for the second time this season in cruising over an exhausted Maverick squad.  Barton concludes the regular season at 6-2 in conference play and with Saturday's regional victory improved to 10-2 and 12-2 on the season.   Northwest Tech, who won a hard fought 3-2 regional contest Friday night in Dodge City, see their playoff hopes diminished falling to the fifth spot at 4-7-1 and 5-10-2 overall.  

Next up for the Cougars are the Region VI playoffs as Barton will host the first round at 4:00 p.m. Thursday against Kansas City Kansas Community College.   The Blue Devils, who lost the second place tiebreaker at 7-3 in the East Division, bring a 10-3 overall mark to Great Bend.

Freshman Benjamin Zamora would score his first collegiate goal getting the Cougars going with 15:28 left in the half blasting top shelf from Francis Eto's one-hopped cross to the back post.  The play was set up perfectly as Jose Escobedo fought off a defender finding Lucas Alves in the midfield who immediately kicked out to a sprinting Eto down the right flank.

Following a Northwest kick towards goal to start the reset, the Cougars quickly worked the ball up the field as Julio Neto fed Vinicius Monteiro at the midfield who then found Mario Ramirez breaking into the eighteen.  Cork screwing two Maverick defenders, Ramirez sent a left foot strike from the six beating net keeper Jarell Yapching to the near post doubling up Barton's lead in a matter of twenty-seven seconds.

Midfielder Kota Endo created the first of six second half goals with his first assist of the season getting a steal in Maverick territory toe tapping ahead to Alves in open space.  Utilizing his speed to split the collapsing defense, the Brazilian sophomore was too much for Yapching sending a turf burner far post for his seventh of the season.  Six minutes later Alves was back wreaking havoc again with Endo again starting the play sending a pass to Escobedo who then turned and passed to Alves.  Breaking into the eighteen Alves was taken down for a Maverick penalty, sending the twelve yard shot to the back of the net for a 4-0 lead 11:48 into the second frame.

Team captain Monteiro, who would distribute three assists on the day, triggered the next goal less than six minutes later one-touching a pass to Luca Perez who then spun and kicked out to Teppei Negami just outside the eighteen.  Settling the pass Negami sent a missile near post for the Tokyo, Japan, freshman's first collegiate goal with 27:37 to play.  

Three minutes later Monteiro and Ramirez played a two-man game taking on three defenders with Monteiro sending in his team leading tenth assist of the season as Ramirez' left foot blast blew past Yapching for the El Paso, Texas, freshman's team leading ninth goal of the year.

As the second wave of Cougars was beginning to completely take over the field as Head Coach Mike Brown intermittently began substitutions early in the half, Barton tacked on two more goals in a matter of two minutes.

Taking Parker Smith's midfield pass, Sergio Ribeiro placed a through ball to the left wing as Alexander Kay slipped behind the defense in beating Yapching near post with 12:06 left on the clock.  Two minutes later Kay turned distributor leaving a touch outside the eighteen where Luiz Pereira worked past a Maverick before striking far post beyond the sliding Yapching for his second of the year in the eight goal final margin.

Behind the continued strong play of a stingy Cougar defensive line, goalkeepers Bruce Turner and Juan Parente combined forty-five minute halves in helping to secure the team's eighth shutout of the season.