Balanced attack leads Cougars to 9-0 route in season opener #GoBarton
Balanced attack leads Cougars to 9-0 route in season opener
Six different players found the back of the net Saturday afternoon, helping the Barton Community College women's soccer team win its third-straight season opener in a 9-0 route over Trinidad State at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
Opening the season at 1-0-0, the Cougars will get a three-day break before testing waters on the road for three straight beginning Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in McPherson, KS against the McPherson College reverse squad. Barton will then head down south next weekend for a pair of matchups against Trinity Valley Community College on Saturday before concluding the swing Sunday at 2nd ranked Tyler Junior College.
Nina Norshie got the scoring opened in the eighth minute with the first of her three-tally day dribbling in Sofia Morales through ball coming off Olivia Allen's backline pass for a far post missile.
The Cougar advantage grew just 51-seconds later behind the stellar passing of midfielder Belen Guerrero and defender Natalia Baltodano creating a 1-on-1 rush for Aya Saiki's soft touch shaker to the far post.
Norshie would account for the final marker of the opening half sneaking a backdoor header home off Hinano Nakagawa's corner kick expanding the lead to 3-0.
The flip of the field with the Cougars' going against a 10-15mph wind was not good news for the Trojans, as Barton would hang six more goals in the final 45-minutes.
It took just 1:23 into the second half for the Barton offense to open the scoring back up when Ondine Manceau's corner to the back post deflected off the leaping Belen Guerrero finding the unmarked foot of Nicole Thorp.
Just nine minutes later, Siaomee Bagnost etched her name into the scoring column ricocheting a backside header under the crossbar off Manceau's second setup of the afternoon making it 5-0.
It took the Cougars another seven minutes to score again with Rin Sato in prime position at the 6' redirecting Allen's original shot attempt from outside the 18'.
Benefitting off a pair of corner kicks already, Barton remained dialed in on the free opportunities as Saiki slipped behind the Trinidad State defense heading in Baltodano's free kick cross from just outside the 18' stretching the lead to 7-0.
In the 82nd-minute a forced turnover created by Bagnost produced the eighth marker as Norshie completed the hat trick sending her third goal of the game off the brilliant passing of Saiki.
The Cougars' final tally came just 2:37 later with Allen lighting the lamp for the first time in her collegiate career striking home Morales through ball created off a Saiki steal.
Nia Baker and Raianny Lopes combined for the shutout in net as the pair benefitted behind a stout defensive line allowing just two shots and none on frame.
Barton held a 42-2 advantage in shots including a 19-0 edge in shots on target.