CHANUTE -- No. 5 ranked Cowley College outlasted the Barton Cougars 2-1 Region 6/Plains District Tournament Saturday to qualify for the 2024 NJCAA Soccer Championship. Barton's Loic Kanku from Brussels, Belgium scored the Cougars' goal.
Cowley (14-1-3) also eliminated the Cougars (12-7-3) 2-1 in last year's Region 6/Plains championship game. Cowley downed the Cougars 2-0 in Arkansas City and the teams tied 2-2 Oct. 19 on the Cougars' home turf.
PARK HILLS, MO. -- the Barton Community College men's soccer team maximized its 1,100 mile round-trip with a 4-1 victory over Jefferson College in the semifinal round of the Region 6/Plains District Tournament by scoring a pair of goals in each half.
The 5th ranked Cowley Tigers defeated Seward County 4-0 in the other semifinal game held in Arkansas City. Jefferson College ends the year at 3-11-5
A corner kick set piece put the Cougars on the board 11:51 left in first half action on Diogo Giminez' rise-n-shine header dumping Pedro Lyra's sent ball to the back post.
Shy of five minutes later, Lucas Dos Santos' picked a fellow defender's pocket deep in the Cougars' offensive end to quickly flick a pass over to Joaquin Pico Abedul in drilling mid-net giving Barton a two-goal momentum lead to halftime.
Gabriel Bergamin, who would have the shutout ruined with just 3:10 left on a fluke caromed ball off the crossbar from a 25-yard free kick, provided the Cougars a big 1v1 save protecting the two-goal lead with 29 minutes left.
The gap remained steady until 8:09 remaining when Loic Kanku's cross was met mid-flight by Lyra as the one-touch strike pushed the margin to three.
Three minutes later Isoumail Camara rattled the nets to close out Barton's scoring, slicing through the defense in receiving Giminez' nifty through ball for the Cougars' then 4-0 lead with 5:10 remaining.
Barton Scoring:
33:09: Diogo Giminez (6); Assist: Pedro Lyra (2)
37:28: Joaquin Pico Abedul (7); Assist: Lucas Dos Santos ( 5)
81:51: Pedro Lyra (4); Assist: Loic Kanku (5)
84:50: Isoumail Camara (3); Assist: Diogo Giminez (4)
