Fast start leads Barton Women's Soccer to season-opening victory over Western Iowa Tech #GoBarton
Nagano scores twice as Cougars cruise in season opener
The Barton Community College women's soccer team wasted no time in Saturday's season opener, scoring just 26 seconds into the match and never looking back, powered by a pair of first-half goals from freshman forward Ayaka Nagano in a 5-1 victory over Western Iowa Tech at the Bill Keller Family Sports Complex in Pratt.
The win extends the Cougars season-opening unbeaten streak to six straight years, while Western Iowa Tech falls to 0-1-0. The Cougars will return to the pitch on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., facing Trinity Valley from Hutchinson's Salthawk Sports Complex.
Nagano made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, striking first off, a feed from Katie Potter, who followed with her own unassisted strike 17:45 later to double the lead. Nagano extended the advantage to 3-0 in the 22nd minute, finishing off an assist from Sara Aguirre.
Western Iowa Tech pulled one back in the 73rd minute on a counter-attack, but the Cougars quickly silenced the rally. Meane Martin Damiao restored the three-goal cushion less than two minutes later, capitalizing on setup passes from Nicole Souza and Lauren Barker. Just 47 seconds after that, Aguirra capped the scoring with a highlight-worthy 20-yard free kick from the right edge of the 18'.
The Cougars dominated statistically, outshooting Western Iowa Tech 32-6 overall and 20-2 in shots on goal.
Barton utilized three goalkeepers, with Leonie Kerle earning the victory. Leonie Chambe and Kimberly Escobedo also saw minutes between the pipes, as the trio combined for one save.
BARTON SCORING SUMMARY
0:26: Ayaka Nagano (1); Assist: Katie Potter
18:11: Katie Potter (1)
21:44: Ayaka Nagano (1); Assist: Sara Aguirre
73:56: Meane Martin Damiao (1); Assists: Nicole Souza (1) & Lauren Barker (1)
74:43: Sara Aguirre (1)