A late goal by Sara Cortes lifts Cowley to 2-1 road win
Getting a late scoring strike from freshman Sara Cortes and then thwarting a Barton County penalty kick in the game’s final minutes, the No. 8-ranked Cowley College women’s soccer team came away with a 2-1 win over the Cougars on Saturday in Great Bend, KS.
The Lady Tigers (9-0-4) remain unbeaten and in first place in the Jayhawk Conference with a record of 9-0-3. Barton (9-7-1) falls to fifth place in the conference with a record of 5-6-1.
Aided by the wind, Cowley outshot Barton 9-1 in the opening half. The Lady Tigers were able to break through with a goal by sophomore Louyse Christine only 15 seconds before halftime.
"We had to adjust our game due to the tough playing conditions," Cowley head coach Roberto dos Santos said. "That goal by Louyse was huge for us because we were playing with the wind at our back."
The Cougars would tie the game midway through the second half when Maki Kimura scored on a penalty kick following a Cowley handball in the box.
The Lady Tigers would go back in front by a score of 2-1 when Saki Sanno sent a long ball behind the Cougar defense, resulting in Sara Cortes far-post finish with 9:15 remaining.
"That was a beautiful assist from Saki that set up Sara's goal," dos Santos said.
Barton had a chance tie in the closing moments, but Kimura's second penalty kick attempt with 2:09 remaining was denied by Cowley goalkeeper Julia Suelly, who stopped five of the six shots she faced on goal.
"Julia had a huge game and made a game-saving stop on the penalty kick," dos Santos said. "I am proud of the way the girls responded."
The Lady Tigers outshot Barton 18-12 while improving their record to 4-0-3 on the road.
Cowley will remain on the road to face Dodge City (6-8) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Conquistadors are 4-8 in the conference. A victory by the Lady Tigers would clinch the conference title.
"We can't afford to lose," dos Santos said. "Not only for conference reasons, but also to keep our national ranking."