Barton women's soccer close out regular season with seven goal shutout

The Barton Community College women's soccer team closed out the regular season Saturday at the Cougar Soccer Complex with a 7-0 Region VI victory over Northwest Kansas Technical College.  Playing for the final time on their home turf, four sophomores accounted for five first half goals as the Lady Cougars cruised past an undermanned Lady Mavericks squad.  Barton finishes the regular season 9-5-1 while Northwest Kansas finishes 2-11-1 overall with a 2-10 region season.   Placing second in the Jayhawk West division at 5-3, Barton finished third in the Region VI standings at 8-4 and will play its first round regional playoff game in Overland Park, Kansas, to take on the East's No. 2 seed Johnson County Community College who wrapped up the regular season at 9-2-1 in conference and 10-5-1 overall.

It took the Lady Cougars just five minutes into the contest to rattle the net as Megan Martinez sent the ball to the midfield where Hannah Knaak's one-touch through ball found Rachel Craft on the left wing for a left foot turf burner to the far post.

Knaak then contributed her second assist in as many goals sending a pass to midfield as Brooke Russell sent a left foot chip from the midfield stripe into the wind.  Splitting and out racing the defense, Adriana Reyes caught up with the ball just outside the eighteen taking one touch before striking far post for a two goal lead 12:34 into the game.

Like Knaak, Martinez quickly picked up her second assist of the contest four minutes later hitting Maddison Schofield in stride in the midfield.  Schofield then alertly sent a through ball to Knaak whose strike far post was just enough out of the reach of the Mavericks' goalkeeper Arion Jackson.

The lead grew to four at the 19:11 mark into the game as Reyes took Martinez' pass and launched a missile from outside the eighteen inside the near post for her second of the game and fifth of the season.

With time winding down on the first half clock Russell's through ball found Schofield in a 1v1 situation with the Australian freshman easily beating the keeper far post for her fifteenth net shaker of the season with thirty-six ticks remaining.

The Lady Cougar bench personnel would field the pitch for most of the second half with freshman accounting for both second half goals.  Abigail Elliott broke the near nineteen minute second half scoring drought finishing off an unfortunate bounce against the Mavericks.  With Kirsty Ashworth sending a header from the midfield circle aided by a south wind towards goal, Elliott and a Maverick defender deflected the hop high into the eighteen.  With Jackson coming out to the six to intercept, a high hop soared over her head into the box as a hustling Elliott outdueled a defender finding the net for the England native's first collegiate goal.

Less than three minutes later Elliott would also get her first collegiate assist taking on two defenders before kicking out to the right wing.  Nicole Budke took one touch into the eighteen before sizing up and sending a howitzer to the upper-90 near post for the Salina freshman first collegiate goal.