October 28, 2009

Tiger soccer loses in Region VI Quarterfinals

Going up against the second-seeded Barton County Grizzlies Tuesday in Great Bend, the Cowley College men’s soccer team had its season come to an end with a 4-1 loss in the quarterfinals of the Region VI playoffs.

Things started well for the Tigers as they got on the board first. Cowley freshman Lucas Coelho scored off a free kick from 25 yards out, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead just a little over a minute into the game.

However, Barton County would tie the game at 1-1 on a goal by Kevin Ellis only four minutes later. The Grizzlies grabbed a 2-1 lead on Tom Shaw’s goal with 21:02 left in the first half and went into halftime with a 3-1 advantage thanks to another goal by Ellis just before halftime.

With Cowley unable to mount much of an offensive attack in the second half, Barton County would add a goal by Dula Fadis and hold on for the 4-1 win.

“It was a good game, our boys came out strong but you have got to give Barton County credit, they have a good squad,” Cowley head coach Roberto Dos Santos said.

The Grizzlies (16-3) advance to take on third-seeded Garden City (15-3) Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

After starting the season winless through their first six games, the Tigers showed tremendous fight by rallying to win six games and finish the season with a record of 6-9-1.

“Our biggest turnaround was the mental part of the game,” Dos Santos said. “We did not start the season the way we should have or the way we expected, but we made a huge turnaround.”

The Tigers made strides in the second year of the program as they won two more games than a year ago and finished higher in the conference standings.

“We are on the right track, we have progressed so much from the first season not only on the field, but as a program,” Dos Santos said.

Cowley will say goodbye to sophomores, Blake Anderson, Austin Sacket, Marko Bukva, Orlando Colina, Dayton Rodrigues, Joao Bacchi, Ivenns Martinez, Chase Turney, Keegan Cornelius, and Nick Sobba.

The sophomores played a major role in helping the Tigers reach the Region VI playoffs in each of the program’s first two seasons.

“They made history for Cowley College men’s soccer,” Dos Santos said. “They took the challenge to come to Cowley and embraced our goals. Those guys were huge for us, I am proud and happy for them as they move on.”

Winning six of the team’s final 10 games, Dos Santos is already excited about the 2010 season.
“We are already hitting the recruiting track and know what kind of individuals we need to keep it going,” Dos Santos said.