Cougars win national tournament opener 2-1, control destiny for semifinal berth #GoBarton
Cougars win national tournament opener 2-1, control destiny for semifinal berth.
The Barton Community College men's soccer team recovered from an early goal deficit to win 2-1 over Coastal Bend College in its first pool play contest in the NJCAA Division I Tournament Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex.
Improving to 13-2-1 on the year, the 7th seeded Cougars will face 2nd seeded Salt Lake Community College at 1:00 p.m. Monday to wrap up pool play. Coastal Bend, who knocked off Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday to hand the Bruins (13-1-1) their lone loss of the year, drop to 9-4-2 on the season.
Barton's victory puts the Cougars in the driver's seat to advance into Wednesday's national semifinals. A victory over Salt Lake moves Barton into the semifinal round but a loss brings goal differential into play with a three-way tie as the Bruins would need to win by two or more goals to advance. Coastal Bend also has hopes, needing the Bruins to win 1-0 on Monday to remain alive.
RECAP
Coastal Bend struck first on Sunday, capitalizing on a corner kick situation as Thomas Williams' ball in flight reach the backside of the box where Charlie Ward's rise-n-shine header beat Yuki Nishigaki on the back post for a Cougar lead just 5:46 into the contest.
Nishigaki and the defense line shored things up the rest of the game while the offense started to find its stride with multiple good look attacks the next twenty minutes.
Shizu Yohena's creativeness just outside the eighteen provided the equalizer with 21:05 to play, breaking between defenders before shaping a lined strike just inside the far post for the freshman's third goal of the year.
Outshooting Coastal Bend 9-5 in the opening half, Yohena just missed his second goal with 11:10 to play getting loose on the left side but the strike to far post sailed just outside the frame.
Six minutes later the net rattled for the final time as Pasquale Degaetano's through ball set up Genildo Postimo for an eighteen yard laser to the upper-90 for his fifth of the year leaving Coastal Bend goalkeeper Harry Scott flat-footed for the second time.
Both teams found multiple offensive attacks in the final forty-five, the Cougars of Coastal Bend launching 13 to Barton's 10 with Nishigaki turning away six on frame with Scott rejecting four.
Coastal Bend had the better of the chances including with 13 minutes later on a 1v1 breakaway but Nishigaki provided the wall of denial with a kick save protecting the near post. Nishigaki came up big again on two late attacks, both with rejecting upper-90 bids including the final one in the closing seconds.