The No. 7 Barton Community College men's soccer team remained perfect on the young season Wednesday morning, using a second-half penalty kick to secure a 1-0 victory over Western Nebraska Community College at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
Locked nil-nil into the second half, Barton finally broke the deadlock near the hour mark as returning All-American Masaki Tsuji drew a foul inside the box before toeing the penalty stripe and converting the eventual game-winner for the second straight match.
The victory keeps the Cougars perfect at 3-0-0, while Western Nebraska drops to 1-2-0. Barton will continue its season-opening five-game homestand Saturday, hosting Lamar Community College in a 2:00 p.m. kickoff.
Despite generating the better share of opportunities throughout the opening 45, the Cougars were unable to break through, outshooting Western Nebraska 8-4 while placing two attempts on frame. Reigning KJCCC Goalkeeper of the Week Pedro Lisboa turned away Western Nebraska's lone first-half attempt on frame at the other end, sending the teams into the halftime break deadlocked.
Western Nebraska applied the early pressure out of the break, putting three attempts on frame over a five-minute stretch before Barton flipped the field and found the eventual breakthrough. Tsuji worked a give-and-go with Lucas Meibom before being taken down by the Western Nebraska keeper inside the box, setting up the penalty opportunity with 30:53 remaining.
Toeing the stripe, Tsuji buried the ensuing penalty for his second goal of the season and second straight game-winner, giving Barton the 1-0 advantage.
Protecting the one-goal margin over the final 30-plus minutes, the Cougar defense held firm despite a pair of late Western Nebraska threats. Lisboa turned away attempts in the 77th and 89th minutes to preserve the clean sheet, finishing with five saves and securing his second shutout through the opening three matches.
BARTON SCORING SUMMARY
59:07: Masaki Tsuji (2) Penalty Kick