Cougars dominate in battle of national powers; Clinch conference title
It’s been almost a year since that fateful day in Topeka that ended the Cougars’ 2011 season. Today the Barton Community College men’s soccer team unleashed a portion of revenge on their tormentor as the No. 9 ranked Cougars dominated the No. 7 ranked Cloud County Community College Thunderbirds 4-0 at Cougar Field. Barton jumped on the defending NJCAA Champions with three first half goals in route to the victory which assures the Cougars at least a share of the conference championship. The Cougars’ championship is the seventh in the past ten years and the fourth of Coach Oliver Twelvetrees’ seven years at the helm. Barton, 12-2-1 overall and 9-0-0 in conference, can clinch the title outright with a victory to wrap up regular season play on Wednesday against Kansas City Kansas Community College. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Cougar Soccer/Track Complex.
Barton wasted little time in gaining the upper hand in the battle of national powers as Ebu Camara took a beautiful Sam McCrillis cross just two minutes into the contest to beat the Cloud goalkeeper. The duo connected again sixteen minutes later when McCrillis' deflected pass found Camara amongst defenders and was able to connect inside the far post. The Cougars thwarted any hope of Cloud gaining momentum going into half as Gonzalo Gelso hammered home a mid-air kick from just inside thirty yards out to give the Cougars the 3-0 halftime edge. Hector Mata concluded the game's scoring after he pick-pocketed a Cloud defender just inside the penalty box and blasted it past the diving keeper with twenty-three minutes left in the contest.
Other Notes:
This week's KJCCC Verizon Wireless Players of the Week Sam McCrillis and Mauricio Campos are both making their mark in the Barton record book. McCrillis, who already is the single season assist leader, added to his total with his two assists in today's contest. The effort also moved him into second place all-time in career assists with 20 and added to his third place standing in points scored at 78, just one point shy of second place. Campos, who like McCrillis has won the weekly conference award twice this season, recorded his seventh shutout to move him into sixth place in single season shutouts.