Lady Cougars blow out MCC-Maple Woods for third straight win, Mendez with second hat trick

The Barton Community College women's soccer team scored eight goals for the second time in the last five games routing MCC-Maple Woods 8-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Cougar Soccer Complex.   The Lady Cougars scored four each half including jumping out to an early lead behind a strong south wind to coast to their third straight win.  The non-conference victory improves Barton to 6-6 on the season while the Monarchs drop to 1-12.   Sitting in fifth place in the Jayhawk standings at 5-4, the Lady Cougars return to Jayhawk play on Saturday hosting eighth place Coffeyville Community College (3-5, 6-10) at 2:00 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season.   Barton will then wrap up the regular season Monday, October 26, at Kansas City Kansas Community College.  

It only took a little over two minutes for the Lady Cougars to begin lighting up the scoreboard as Jennifer Mendez put away Denise Cuenca's pass.   Ten minutes later Mendez struck again this time from Natalie Espino-Kennedy staking Barton to the two goal lead with 32:53 still left in the first half.

Scoring a hat trick back on October 3rd against Neosho County, Mendez accounted for her second three-goal game in the last five stealing a pass near midfield then dribbling past the Monarch defense beating the keeper 1v1 to far post with 12:50 to play.

Scarlett Real wrapped up the first half scoring with 4:38 left with her third goal of season striking far post on Espino-Kennedy's second assist of game.

Heading into the south wind for second half action didn't slow down the offensive attack as four goals would ensue.  Sophomore Evelyn Rodriguez-Lerma, who had just missed a goal moments earlier, rattled the net for the first time in her collegiate career going upper 90 at the 38:26 mark.

A trio of seconds accounted for the Lady Cougars' remaining goals beginning three minutes later as Rachel Craft struck near post for her second goal of the season pushing Barton's lead out to six.  Brooke Russell then picked up her second goal of the year putting away a through ball from Denise Nunemaker for her first collegiate assist with 28:31 to play.  Espino-Kennedy, who had already dished out two assists in the game, filled the goal statline for the second time this season finishing off Craft's first assist of the year as Barton claimed a commanding eight goal lead with 17:34 remaining.

Freshman reserve goalkeeper McKenna Ferreira picked up her second win of the season and just missed her second clean slate when a defensive miscue set up MCC-Maple Woods' Beth Mellor finding Erin Callinan breaking up the shutout with only 1:25 remaining.