No. 16 Lady Cougar soccer takes care of business, prepares for conference showdown on Friday

No. 16 ranked Barton Community College women's soccer team took care of business Sunday at the Cougar Soccer Complex, scoring four second goals in defeating Neosho County Community College 5-1.    With the win Barton improves to 8-0 in conference play and 8-2 overall while dropping Neosho to 1-5-1 in conference and 2-7-1.  The victory by Barton sets up a pivotal game for the conference top spot at 4:00 p.m. Friday as the Lady Cougars host No. 8 Butler Community College.  The Grizzlies, who defeated No. 20 Johnson County Community College 2-1 in overtime late Sunday evening, will bring a 4-0 conference mark and 9-2 record overall.

Bianca Barron gave the Lady Cougars a lead midway through the first half, taking the back end of a give-and-go with Catlin Simon to easily beat the Neosho keeper from short range distance.  The Panthers managed to tie the game with four-and-a-half minutes left in the half courtesy of a Haylie Kinzey header off a forty yard free kick from Morgan Rabe.

A special moment highlighted the Lady Cougars first of three second half goals coming at the 2:12 mark of the second frame.  Sophomore Mariana Poveda's 60' kick just inside the far post was more than simply scoring her first goal of the season.  Mauled by her teammates after the goal, Poveda's achievement was a celebration coming on the one-year anniversary of her injury that ended the all-conference and all-region player's freshman season.

Barron helped seal Neosho's fate with the next two goals, the first coming ten minutes later from roommate Olimpia Bonilla and the second coming with thirty minutes to play from Simon's second assist of the game.

Scoring her fourth goal of the day with just under ten minutes remaining, Barron left the game in third place on the Barton all-time goal list, moving to within four of Great Bend native Yesenia Garcia in second place.