The Barton Community College men's soccer team concluded the regular season on a 3-1 loss Saturday at 3rd ranked Cowley College.
The Cougars finish the slate in 3rd place of the West at 5-5-0 and slide to 8-7-0 on the season while Cowley remains unbeaten at 10-0 in league and 14-0 overall.
Barton now turns its attention to the post-season as the Cougars begin its Region VI/Plains District title defense with a Monday, November 1st trip to Kansas City Kansas Community College in first round action.
The Cougars netted Saturday's first goal coming off of Tajay Grant's forced turnover deep in the Cowley defensive zone. Ivan Zuniga collected the loose ball slipping a through ball towards a cutting Grant just inside the 18 to send a laser lower near post giving Barton the lead 13:26 before halftime. For Grant it was his 4th net rattler of the season while Zuniga's earned his 3rd assist.
The goal seemed to awaken Cowley as the Tigers sent relentless attacks towards goal the next ten minutes before rattling the nets twice in 90 seconds for a 2-1 home advantage. The equalizer came with 3:32 remaining before half as Caique Trivelato sent a cross into the six, skipping just outside of a lunging Cougar defender where Tensei Sakaue blasted in the short distance goal. Sakaue then would get credit for the game winning assist, curling a cross to the far side where it struck the far post, caromed back towards the six with Masaya Sekiguchi at the right place at the right time to rebound the shot past a stunned Felipe Ramos in net.
Barton nearly pulled off the equalizer with twenty minutes remaining in the contest, executing a free kick set piece but the cross was just out of reach of two diving header attempts.
Cowley countered off the attack, resulting in a Barton foul just outside the eighteen. Gabriel Verona's low free kick deflected off one Cougar on its path towards back post with Yuzuki Motohashi striking the two-goal cushion with 19:22 remaining.
Ramos made six saves in the contest but the Cougars were outshot 16-4 including 9-2 on frame.