Late power surge sends 17th ranked Cougars to title and national tournament berth #GoBarton

The quick strike 17th ranked Cougars of Barton Community College rattled the nets three times in less than two minutes late in Sunday's Region VI/Plains District Championship for a 4-1 national tournament bid victory over 13th ranked Cowley College.

The KJCCC's West's second seeded Cougars will take a 12-2-1 record to the NJCAA Divsion I Championship Tournament, making the return trip to Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex June 5-10.  For Cowley, the waiting game begins for the West Champions as the Tiger's 11-3 record is hopeful of an at-large tournament berth.

As each scored had scored a penalty kick goal deadlocking the teams to a 1-1 score with 17:41 left, Cowley's attack mode had the Cougars back on their heels defending for much of second half action in general.

The offensive pressure would eventually be the Tigers' downfall as Barton's front line just needed that one crease to produce a game winner.

That break came under six minutes to play as Elijah Williams forced a Cowley turnover around the midfield with Felipe D'Agostini scooping up the loose ball for a track meet to the goal.  D'Agostini carried the ball the final 40+ yards, using fancy footwork and speed to outduel the onrushing defenders until a final direction switch before sending an off-footed strike lower near post for the eventual winner with 5:29 on the clock.

The Cougars turned back a couple more Cowley attack, the last setting up goalkeeper Yuki Nishigaki with a free kick coming out of goal. Launching the kick 50+ in the air, the bounce carried over the first attempts before finding Vladyslav Peretyatko along the sideline.  Settling and cork screwing a Cowley defender, Peretyatko planted and launched a 25-yard missile from outside the point of the eighteen to rattle the mid-net upper-90 providing the dagger goal with 3:59 remaining.

Just nineteen seconds later following a Tiger turnover on the reset, the Cougars put final nail on the coffin with Cedric Morales sending a through ball to Cesar Rodriguez touching the pass off just inside the eighteen to a sprinting Williams beating the onrushing Cowley keeper Andre Luiten to the near post.

Barton outshot the Tigers in first half action with mulitple scoring chances only to be denied by a pair of spectacular Luiten saves.

The Cougars' lone first half goal came on a penalty in the box just 25 seconds into the contest as Gabrielle Privitera was taken down. Still shaken from the impact, Privitera gave way to D'Agostini for the awarded kick in delivering the net shaker.

Second half play was controlled mostly by Cowley as the Cougars were unable to maintain much possession and the Tigers attacking throughout.

Despite Nishigaki coming up with numerous quality saves, a mistake on a loose ball crashing into Tsubasa Nakamori sending Cowley to the penalty stripe.  Antonio Peruchi Marra, the game winning hero in Saturday's semifinal victory, struck gold for the gray with orange trimmed Tigers tying the contest with 17:41 remaining.