With their first week of the 2016 season in the books, two Barton Community College men’s soccer players earned conference honors helping the Cougars get off to an 2-0 start to the season. Awarded weekly by the KJCCC, Lucas Alves was voted the conference Player of the Week while Juan Parente earned the Goalkeeper of the Week honor giving the Cougars the sweep.
Alves picked up where he left off from last year by stretching the defense and providing a constant offensive threat scoring a goal in each of the Cougars’ games last week. Pestering a stout NOC-Tonkawa defense with eight shots in the season opener, Alves provided the nail in the coffin late securing the 2-0 win and Head Coach Mike Brown’s first collegiate victory. This past Sunday, Alves again drove the nail in the coffin attacking the zone resulting in a late penalty kick opportunity conversion sending a rocket past the Western Nebraska Community College keeper for the Cougars second 2-0 win.
With Alves leading the offensive charge, the defensive side of the Cougars’ lineup was equally impressive recording the shutouts. Parente and the defensive line held the respected Mavericks’ offensive line in check surrendering just three shots on goal protecting the season opening victory in Oklahoma. This past Sunday against WNCC, Parente captained another stout defensive effort only allowing one shot on goal against a team who put up a three goal output previously against defending conference champion Pratt Community College.
Barton will get another stiff test today in the Cougars’ Jayhawk West opener traveling to Concordia to take on conference pre-season favorite Cloud County Community College in a 3:00 p.m. kick-off. The T-Birds, 2-0-1 on the early season, opened the schedule with a 6-0 win before facing two Jayhawk foes on the road coming away with a 2-1 victory over Garden City and this past Wednesday battling to a scoreless tie in Dodge City.