Lady Tiger soccer team suffers first defeat

In a battle of the top-two women's soccer teams in the Jayhawk Conference Western Division, the No. 14-ranked Cowley College Lady Tigers suffered its first loss of the season in a 1-0 setback against Barton County Wednesday in Great Bend, KS.

Cowley had the aid of a 20-25 mile per hour wind in the first half, but were unable to find the back of the net as the teams went into halftime locked in a scoreless tie.

Cowley had the only two shots on goal in the opening half. They continued to keep the pressure on in the second half despite playing against the wind. Barton dodged a couple of Lady Tiger scoring opportunities, including a shot by Leticia Belloni that bounced off the cross bar.

The Lady Cougars would get the goal they needed when Seulgi Lee sent a 40-yard free kick off a Cowley defender and into the net with 9:40 remaining.

Needing a goal to force overtime, Cowley continued to battle but were unable to tie the game up. The Lady Tigers out-shot Barton 11-5 in the defeat.

"It was a painful loss," Cowley head coach Roberto dos Santos said. "We were able to control the contest and keep Barton on their defensive half for most of the game."

Cowley is now 6-1-1 overall and 5-1 in the Jayhawk West. The victory moves Barton County (10-1) into sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West with a record of 7-1.

"We are going to have to regroup and finish the opportunities we create," Dos Santos said.

Cowley will return to action Saturday when they host No. 9-ranked Butler at 2 p.m. at the Arkansas City High School soccer field. The Lady Grizzlies are currently 7-0 in the Jayhawk East.

"Every game in the Jayhawk Conference is a challenge, so we expect another battle," Dos Santos said.