Mynor Perez is the No. 3 goal scorer in the NJCAA with 28 goals in 22 games.
On Thursday at 5:30 p.m., the Barton Community College men’s soccer team will face the challenge of keeping him out of the back of the net.
Perez plays for No. 5-ranked Darton of Cordele, Ga., which meets the No. 4 Cougars in the first round of the NJCAA national tournament in Tyler, Texas.
“They have a guy up front that has 28 goals,” Cougars head coach Oliver Twelvetrees said of Perez. “He is going to be a handful.”
If the Cougars can shut Perez down, they should be in the clear.
Of the Cavaliers, only Perez is over 10 goals this season.
Carlos Filho and Guilherme Frota are the nearest players to Perez’s total with nine goals each.
Ricardo Yeverino is the top threat for Barton, ranking No. 20 on the NJCAA list with 18 goals.
“(Darton) is a quality team,” Twelvetrees said. “They have beaten some good, tough teams to get to the tournament.”
The Cavaliers are 17-5 this season, with two wins, one loss and a tie in preseason scrimmages.
Twelvetrees said that he believes the game will favor the Cougars.
“It is a good match up for us,” Twelvetrees said. “They play with three men in the back and we play with three strikers.
“Fewer defenders opens up a lot of space for us to work. We should get some good scoring opportunities.”
The winner of the game will go on to face the either host and No. 1-ranked Tyler Junior College or No. 8 Iowa Western.
Twelvetrees said he expects Tyler to win and that the Cougars are looking forward to the chance of a rematch.
“If we win, we will probably be playing Tyler,” Twelvetrees said. “We played each other at the beginning of the season, and the game ended in a (0-0) tie. I’m sure they are hoping for the chance of a rematch and we are very motivated to prove ourselves.
“We are very excited to be back here in the tournament and hopefully, we can make it to the medal round.”
 NJCAA tournament
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Barton
Barton has won 18 straight games after starting the season 1-3-1.
The Cougar defense has stepped up its game since the midpoint of the season. Starting with the 4-1 win over Cloud County on Sept. 22, the Cougars have allowed just six goals in 14 games while winning the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, Region VI and Plains District titles.
Sophomore Kevin Ellis leads the Cougars back line, earning Defensive Player of the Year in the KJCCC this season. Ellis, a front line player most of last year and earlier this year, is still third in goals with nine and third in points with 22. He set a school record last year with 54 points and his 23 goals were second all-time for a season. Ellis has 32 goals for his career, which is also a record.
Barton is making its third appearance at the national tournament, but have yet to win a contest, going 0-2 each previous visit.
 
Darton College
Darton came out of the Southeast District, beating Spartanburg Methodist College of South Carolina 3-0 to advance to the NJCAA national tournament.
The Cavaliers have allowed just one goal in the post season, outscoring their foes 10-1 in four games.
Darton is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Bart Sasnett. His teams have compiled a 48-23-1 record. This year is the first time Darton has earned a bid to the tournament.
Mynor Perez, the catalyst for Darton’s offense, played for Neosho Community College in the KJCCC during the 2004 season, earning first-team All Region honors. He scored 22 goals that season for the Panthers.
 
The Field
Win or lose, the Cougars will hook up with a team they have already played this season.
Top-seed and host Tyler or No. 8 seed Iowa Western will await Barton in the second round. Barton lost to Iowa Western in the season-opening classic at Barton then tied Tyler on its home field 0-0.
That tie is the only blemish on Tyler’s record, which started the season ranked No. 1 and never left that spot. Tyler is 17-0-1 on the year.
Tyler and Barton are the only two schools that return to the NJCAA tournament from last season.
Monroe College of New York is unbeaten on the season as well and will be the No. 2 seed at 18-0. Cincinnati State has been ranked high all season as well and will take the No. 3 seed with a 20-2 record.
Lincoln College of Illinois and Otero of Colorado round out the field as the sixth and seventh seeds. Lincoln is 16-1-4, while Otero is 16-1-1. Semifinal game and consolation games will be Friday then the teams will get Saturday off before championship on Sunday.
 
NJCAA
National Tournament
At Tyler, Texas
Friday
Game 1 — No. 2 Monroe (18-0) vs. No. 7 Otero (16-1-1), 10 a.m.
Game 2 — No. 3 Cincinnati State Tech (20-2-0) vs. No. 6 Lincoln College (16-1-4), 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 — No. 1 Tyler (17-0-1) vs. No. 8 Iowa Western (16-4-2), 3 p.m.
Game 4 — No. 4 Barton (19-3-1) vs. No. 5 Darton College (17-5), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 5 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 6 — Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 8 — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday
Game 9 — Consolation finals, 9 a.m.
Game 10 — Third place, 11 a.m.
Game 11 — Championship, 1 pm
 
NJCAA Top 10
National poll
 
 1. Tyler Junior College
 2. Monroe College
 3. Cincinnati State Technical & CC
 4. Barton Community College
 5. Darton College
 6. Lincoln College
 7. Otero Junior College
 8. Iowa Western Community College
 9. Oakton Community College
10. Schoolcraft College