The No. 7 Barton Community College men's soccer team overcame a sluggish opening half Sunday following a long bus ride in its first road trip of the season, erupting for four second-half goals to begin its Labor Day weekend swing with a 4-2 victory at No. 15 Lewis & Clark Community College in Moline, Illinois.
Barton remains unbeaten on the season at 5-0 while handing Lewis & Clark its first loss in slipping to 3-1-1. Following an hour trip south and a night's rest, the Cougars return to action Monday with a 10:30 a.m. kickoff at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.
It took more than 34 minutes for either side to break through, the Trailblazers striking first on a back-side header off a corner kick set piece to carry a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Just over two minutes into second-half action, Masaki Tsuji began his five-point afternoon by splitting a pair of defenders and depositing Jaiko Miguelez's forward pass inside the near post to draw Barton even.
Tsuji struck again with 18:31 remaining, receiving Kotaro Kimura's pass just outside the 18-yard box before launching a laser into the upper shelf for his fourth goal of the season and a 2-1 Cougar advantage.
Three minutes later, a Barton foul at the top of the box led to a Lewis & Clark penalty kick, pulling the Trailblazers even with 15:26 remaining.
With the contest winding into the 87th minute, Tsuji broke loose near midfield and carried down the middle before finding Rafael Calmon on the flank. The sophomore wasted little time, driving a strike to the far post for his third goal of the season and the eventual game-winner with 2:11 remaining.
The Cougars were far from in the clear as Lewis & Clark continued pressing for the equalizer. A 40-yard set piece nearly produced the Trailblazers' second headed goal of the afternoon, but two-time KJCCC Goalkeeper of the Week Pedro Lisboa came up with a pair of spectacular consecutive saves, denying the initial header before snuffing out the rebound opportunity to preserve Barton's one-goal edge.
Just 30 seconds later, the Cougars turned defense into the final dagger. Barton's pressure forced a turnover with Shoma Komata swinging a pass across the field to Guilherme Leuenroth on the wing. After a settling dribble, Leuenroth had his initial strike denied before burying the rebound to the far post with 42 seconds remaining, putting the finishing touches on the 4-2 ranked road victory.
BARTON SCORING SUMMARY
47:28: Masaki Tsuji (3); Assist: Jaiko Miguelez (1)
71:29: Masaki Tsuji (4); Assist: Kotaro Kimura (2)
87:49: Rafael Calmon (3); Assist: Masaki Tsuji (1)
89:18: Guilherme Leuenroth (3)