After getting 12 shut outs during the regular season, the Barton Community College women’s soccer team began their uphill battle in the NJCAA Region VI tournament by blanking Neosho 2-0 on Monday afternoon.
The win moves Barton into the semifinals in Topeka on Saturday.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Lady Cougars head coach Bryan Sailer said. “But man, we played well. We played great defensively. We really combined well offensively.
“Overall, I thought the effort and the combination play was great.”
The Lady Cougars found the back of the net early in the match when Shala Giardini received a pass just outside the box and turned past the defense. Giardini was able to bury the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
The rest of the half, Barton fought against the wind, which included gusts up to 35 mph.
Even with the weather, the Lady Cougars had a few opportunities to score. At the end of the half, Barton got a second breakaway pass to Giardini, who was injured when challenged by the defender.
“We have been pretty banged up this season,” Sailer said. “But with Shala, you never know. She could be out for awhile or she could be ready to play on Saturday.”
The Lady Cougars finished the game with seven corner kicks and 11 shots.
Even with the opportunities, Barton took a 1-0 lead into the half.
With the wind at their backs in the second half, the Lady Cougars preserved their 1-0 lead all the way to the 76-minute mark, when they widened it.
Joan Daly broke down the right side of the field and found team captain Danielle Mayo on the far side
“I was all by myself on the left side because I was making the outside run,” Mayo said, “and I just screamed Joan’s name.
“I’ve missed a lot of games this season because I’m in nursing school and I’ve had a tibia stress fracture. That was my first goal of season and so it was a pretty good feeling, being able to contribute in a playoff game.”
The goal broke the tension building because of the one-goal lead.
“It was a big relief scoring that goal,” Sailer said, “because up until that point, one goal could tie it. Plus, we had all those other chances, so it was nice to get that second goal.”
The Lady Cougars goal keeper Corey LaMoureaux finished the game with six saves in her 13th shut out this year.

Next for Lady Cougars

The Barton women will travel to Topeka to face the winner of No. 1 seed and third-ranked nationally Hutchinson and Garden City.
Sailer expects to face Hutchinson at 4 p.m. in Hummer Park.
“We’re going to have to defend real well in the next game because it’s against the No. 3-ranked team in the country, Hutch,” Sailer said. “It’s one of those games where the stars have to align for us.
“But you never know. It’s a crazy game. As long as you don’t concede, it is still 0-0.”
The last time the Lady Cougars faced Hutchinson, the Blue Dragons went ahead 1-0 on a Miranda Holmes goal 13 minutes into the game. Neither team scored after that and Barton lost.
If Garden City, which went 9-6 this season, upsets 17-0 Hutchinson, the Lady Cougars will face an opponent they have already overcome.
The Lady Cougars blanked Garden City earlier in the season, 4-0.

Cougars begin postseason
 
The Cougars finished with a 12-0 record in Region VI play, making them the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA region tournament.
Barton will host No. 8-seeded Kansas City Kansas Community College today at Cougar Fields, starting at 3.
The Cougars last played KCK on Oct. 16, winning 2-0.
If the Cougars win, they will either face Cowley or Johnson County.
Earlier this the season, Cowley lost to Barton, 4-1, and Johnson fell to the Cougars, 2-1.