No. 4-ranked Tiger soccer team knocks off 20th-ranked Lewis & Clark 4-1

Facing its first-ranked opponent of the season, the No. 4-ranked Cowley College men's soccer team used three first-half goals to cruise past No. 20-ranked Lewis & Clark Community College by a score of 4-1 Wednesday at the Tiger Soccer Field in Arkansas City.

The victory improves Cowley's record to 4-0-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the Jayhawk Conference.

The Tigers came out ready to play on Wednesday as freshman Takuto Kawase scored in the game's first two minutes. Cowley would add first-half goals by sophomores Shogo Haraikawa and Carmelo Bello to take a 3-0 halftime lead. The goal by Haraikawa was his team-leading third of the season.

Lewis & Clark would cut into the Tigers' lead as Yanis Sow scored seven minutes into the second half to pull the Trailblazers within 3-1. The score would stay that way until Cowley's Renan Syrio's goal with 11:55 remaining iced the game.

"It was good to get a win at home against a talented Lewis and Clark team," Cowley head coach Ruy Vaz said. "We should have handled our three-goal lead better, but we got complacent. We must be focused for 90 minutes when we face talented teams; otherwise, we will be punished. Overall, we had a decent performance and got the win but we need to demand more from us."

Cowley sophomore Kamy Ndione was stellar in goal as he stopped eight of the nine shots he faced.

The Tigers will remain home to face Coffeyville (0-4-1) on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Red Ravens are 0-2 in the conference with losses to Barton and Kansas City.

"Coffeyville is a rival, and I expect a tough game," Vaz said. "They are physical, will have an extra day of rest, and are overall a very organized side. It will be a fun battle."