Ishii’s goal lifts Tigers to 1-0 win at Garden City
In a tightly contested game at Garden City on Saturday, the No. 4-ranked Cowley College men’s soccer team got a goal from sophomore Kanta Ishii with 34 minutes left and held on for the 1-0 road win.
The Tigers remain unbeaten at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. After going unbeaten in its first six contests, Garden City is now 4-3-2 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
After a scoreless first half, Cowley finally broke through when Ishii found the back of the net unassisted to give the Tigers the lead. Ishii's goal was his team-leading third goal of the season.
The Broncbusters attempted to tie the game up, but Cowley goalkeeper Lukas Lowry stopped all four shots he faced to preserve the 1-0 victory.
"We were composed defensively throughout the entire game and managed to come home with the three points," Cowley head coach Marcos Ribeiro said.
Lowry has allowed only one goal in the season's first four games.
Garden City goalkeeper Ilian Badji also had a strong performance, stopping five of the six shots he faced to keep the Broncbusters within striking distance.
"It was a tough match, even though Garden City was very defensive, we were able to create many chances," Ribeiro said. "Their goalkeeper made some great saves that kept the game close."
Cowley will face another challenge when it hosts No. 6-ranked Barton County on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars are 5-2-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
Following Wednesday's contest, the Tigers will host 17th-ranked Dodge City (5-0-2) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
"Now is the time to prepare for an intense week, where we will face two ranked teams," Ribeiro said. "Barton will be a tough game, which we are excited about. They are a very good team, and this is the type of game we like."