The No. 4 Barton Community College men’s soccer team collected its third consecutive victory over a nationally ranked conference opponent Saturday afternoon, overcoming an early deficit for a 2-1 road triumph at No. 14 Coffeyville Community College.
After falling behind just over 11 minutes into the contest at Memorial Stadium, Barton pulled even four minutes before halftime before completing the comeback with the eventual game-winner midway through the second half.
The victory keeps Barton atop the KJCCC standings at 6-1 in conference play and 13-1 overall while Coffeyville slips to 3-3-1 in league action and 6-3-4 on the season.
The Cougars now embark on a five-game homestand to conclude the regular season, beginning Wednesday with a 1:00 p.m. kick against Dodge City Community College.
Coffeyville struck first on a counterattack just 11:01 into the contest, sending a through ball ahead to a sliding Red Raven attacker who redirected the ball into the net for the early advantage.
Rafael Calmon sparked the Barton comeback, having a hand in both Cougar goals beginning with the equalizer with 4:30 remaining in the first half. Yuto Saeki carried the ball into the attacking end before threading a perfectly placed through ball to the left side, where Calmon delivered a left-footed strike from 10 yards out to the far post to send the teams into halftime deadlocked at 1-all.
The Cougars completed the comeback with 26:30 remaining as Calmon turned provider, delivering a corner kick that Yuta Endo finished for his second goal of the season and the eventual game-winner.
Barton generated 19 shots on the afternoon, putting 10 on frame. Masaki Tsuji led the attack with five attempts, including three on target, but was unable to find the back of the net.
Pedro Lisboa earned the victory between the pipes, improving to 11-1-0 on the season while turning away two of Coffeyville’s three shots on goal.
Game Notes:
Saturday’s victory marked Barton’s fourth consecutive outright win in the series, improving the Cougars to 20-4-3 all-time against Coffeyville, including a 10-2-1 mark on the Red Ravens’ home field.
Barton has now gone unbeaten in the last nine meetings at 7-0-2, with Coffeyville’s last victory coming Sept. 4, 2021, in Great Bend.
The matchup also marked just the second time the programs have met as nationally ranked opponents. The previous encounter came Oct. 1, 2022, when No. 9 Barton earned a 3-2 road victory over No. 13 Coffeyville.
BARTON SCORING SUMMARY
40:30: Rafael Calmon (9); Assist: Yuto Saeki (3)
63:30: Yuta Endo (2); Assist: Rafael Calmon (4)
