The No. 4 Barton Community College men’s soccer team left little doubt in Wednesday afternoon’s top-10 showdown, avenging its lone loss of the season with a dominant 6-0 shutout of No. 7 Garden City Community College at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
Behind a balanced attack featuring four Cougars with multiple-point performances, Barton set the tone from the start, striking three times in the opening 16 minutes before adding a fourth goal with 14:40 remaining in the half. The Cougars continued their offensive onslaught with two more goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, completing the season-series split following a 3-1 setback to the Broncbusters on Sept. 12.
Leading the charge was Masaki Tsuji with an eight-point afternoon on three goals and two assists, while Lucas Meibom added five points on a goal and three assists. Rafael Calmon contributed four points on a pair of goals, while Kotaro Kimura rounded out the multiple-point performers with two assists.
Wednesday’s victory improved Barton to 5-1-0 in conference play and 11-1-0 overall, increasing its conference-leading total to 15 points, while Garden City dropped its second straight contest, falling to 3-2-1 in league action and 8-2-3 overall. The Cougars face a quick turnaround, opening a two-game road trip Thursday at Bethel College JV with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff before facing their third ranked opponent in the last four contests Saturday at No. 14 Coffeyville Community College.
Barton delivered the opening punch just 8:37 into the contest as Tsuji intercepted a Garden City outlet pass from the backline, maneuvering through a pair of Broncbuster defenders and burying a near-post strike between the outstretched arms of Matias Rideau for his 10th goal of the season.
The sophomore doubled the advantage less than seven minutes later as Kimura fed Meibom at the top of the box, who delivered a one-touch setup to Tsuji for a beautifully shaped 20-yard strike that curled just inside the far upper 90 for his second goal of the afternoon.
Just 23 seconds later, Barton struck again as Tsuji intercepted another Garden City outlet pass, this time from Rideau in net. Tsuji’s ensuing 1v1 opportunity was denied, but the rebound fell to Meibom in the center of the box, where he blasted into the empty net for his second goal of the season and a 3-0 Cougar advantage.
The offensive barrage continued in the 31st minute as Tsuji’s one-touch pass set up Meibom for a long ball sent behind the Broncbuster backline, springing Calmon for a 1v1 opportunity. Calmon converted to the far post for his seventh goal of the season, sending Barton into the halftime break with a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The Cougars picked up where they left off following intermission, extending the margin to 5-0 just 6:07 into the second half. Calmon worked a give-and-go with Meibom before stepping into a 16-yard strike tucked inside the far post for his second goal of the afternoon and eighth of the season.
Just 3:33 later, Tsuji completed his hat trick as Kimura connected with Samuele Mailer, whose thru ball slipped behind the Broncbuster backline to find Tsuji just inside the box on the left side. The sophomore buried his near-post opportunity for his third goal of the afternoon and NJCAA-leading 12th of the season, capping the Cougars’ scoring frenzy with 35:20 remaining.
By the Numbers:
Barton controlled the offensive opportunities throughout the afternoon, outshooting Garden City 23-7 while holding a commanding 15-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Cougars generated 10 attempts in the opening half before adding 13 following intermission, while holding the Broncbusters to just three shots on frame across the 90 minutes.
Defensively, Pedro Lisboa turned away both shots he faced across 76:23 in net before Reece Renteria closed out the final 13:37, recording one save to complete the combined shutout.
Game Notes:
Garden City won earlier this season (September 12) in Garden City 3-1 – their first against the Cougars behind their all-time most three goals.
Wednesday’s victory improved Barton to 22-1-1 all-time against Garden City, including a 10-0-1 mark in Great Bend, with the lone other blemish coming in a scoreless double-overtime draw on October 30, 2016.
BARTON SCORING SUMMARY
8:37: Masaki Tsuji(10)
15:03: Masaki Tsuji (11); Assists: Kotaro Kimura (4), Lucas Meibom (2)
15:26: Lucas Meibom (2); Assist: Masaki Tsuji (4)
30:20: Rafael Calmon (7); Assists: Masaki Tsuji (5), Lucas Meibom (3)
51:07: Rafael Calmon (8); Assist: Lucas Meibom (4)
54:40: Masaki Tsuji (12); Assists: Kotaro Kimura (5), Samuele Mailer (3)
