There is no debate it has been a successful season for the Barton men’s soccer team.
That success has earned the Cougars a trip to the NJCAA Championships this week at Daytona Beach, Fla. It will be the fourth time in the 18 history of the program it has reached the final event of the season. The Cougars highest finish in those previous three seasons was a third place effort in its last trip, 2008.
But, at times, getting there has been quite a ride.
“This is a very competitive group,” Barton Coach Mike Brown said. “They live for moments like this. We had a conversation after winning the Plains District. I ask them if they wanted this to be a vacation or did they want to go do something. There is no doubt this team wants more.”
It’s a team that rolled in the two games at the Plains District in Texas. Barton outscored its two foes 9-1 wins over Western Texas and Cowley. Barton is now a shiny 18-1-2 on the season and ranked No. 3 in the nation.
It hasn’t always been candy and roses, though.
In one its ties, a 2-2 draw with Dodge City, Barton’s Hiroo Kimura scored as the clock ran to 0:00 to tie the match and send it to overtime.
The following game, a 2-0 win over Garden, Barton led just 1-0 until the final minute when the Cougars finally scored its second goal.
Two games later, in a huge 2-1 road win at Cloud County, Barton trailed 1-0 into the second half before a Gabriel Arreas tied it with 30 minutes to go. Then, with just 18 seconds left in the match, Damen Marcu scored to give Barton the key Jayhawk West win.
One week later, Barton’s Arreas scored in the second overtime to give Barton a 2-1 win at Garden City. All that before September was over.
In October, Barton had a 1-0 win at Dodge. The Cougars followed that up with lethargic 2-0 win at Pratt. Then battled Cloud to a scoreless tie – all in a three game stretch.
Following that tie with Cloud – with the Jayhawk West title on the line – the Cougars were tied with Northwest Tech at 1-all in Goodland. Down a player and needing a win, not a tie, for the West title, the Cardiac Cougars did it again.
This time it was Sora Wakaybayashi scoring with 3:30 left on the clock to secure the West title in the regular season finale.
“It’s just a very competitive, gritty group that lives for those moments,” Coach Brown said. “When they have their backs to the wall, this group really responds.
“We’ve scored at the end of games. Once literally as the clock was running out. That doesn’t happen in soccer. Then to do what we did a man down in Goodland was special. We just live for that moment. They don’t want it easy.”
The post-season, compared to the regular season, has been easy. Barton won 5-1 over Johnson and 4-2 over Dodge before the 4-0 win over Western Texas and the 5-1 win over previously unbeaten Cowley.
Those games equal an 18-2 margin for the Cougars in the post-season.
“I really think the win or go home situation is their culture,” Coach Brown said of the team. “Our roster is deep. Our training conditions are very competitive.
“We have really been playing sound in all four components during the playoffs. I don’t know if we have a true superstar but everyone does their job at a very high level.”
If the Cougars like things the hard way, they pretty much got their wish in Pool C.
Georgia Military, 14-2-1, is ranked No. 6 in the nation. They have a win and loss with No. 4 ranked Eastern Florida, which is also at the NJCAA Championships. The other loss and tie came to a 12-3-3 Daytona State team that spent time ranked as well.
St. Louis, 18-3, is ranked No. 10. The Archers have lost once since Sept. 9, a 2-1 loss to Lewis & Clark on Sept. 30.
Barton will play St. Louis at 1:30 pm CST Monday.The Cougars will play Georgia Military at 1:30 on Wednesday. In between that, on Tuesday, Georgia Military and St. Louis will play in that time slot.
“For me, it is the toughest group,” Coach Brown said of Pool C. “Any of those three teams can win the group. Hopefully, it is us.
“But like I said, we live for these games. These guys don’t want the easy one.”
NJCAA Soccer National Championships
At Daytona Beach, Fla. (All times CST)
Pool play – Nov 12-14
Pool A - 1 Pima (22-2); 8 Northeast Texas (16-2-2), 12 Muskegon (12-2)
Nov 12 – Pima v Muskegon, 8:30 am
Nov 13 – NE Texas v Muskegon, 8:30 am
Nov 14 – Pima v NE Texas, 8:30 am
Pool B - 2 Tyler (18-2), 7 Monroe (10-1-2); 11 CCBC Essex (13-5-2)
Nov 12 – Tyler v Essex, 11 am
Nov 13 – Monroe v Essex, 11 am
Nov 14 – Tyler v Monroe, 11 am
Pool C – 3 Barton (18-1-2), 6 Georgia Military (14-2-1), 10 St. Louis (18-3)
Nov 12 – Barton v St Louis, 1:30 pm
Nov 13 – Ga Military v St. Louis, 1:30 pm
Nov 14 – Barton v Ga Military, 1:30 pm
Pool D – 4 Marshalltown (17-1-1), 5 Eastern Florida (14-4), 9 Cowley (17-1)
Nov 12 – Marshalltown v Cowley, 4 pm
Nov 13 – Eastern Fla v Cowley, 4 pm
Nov 14 – Marshalltown v Eastern Fla, 4 pm
Semifinals - Friday, Nov. 16
Highest seed v Lowest seed, 11 am
Middle seed v Middle seed, 2 pm
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 17
Semifinal winners, 2 pm
