Tiger soccer team records another shutout

Facing Allen Community College, the No. 15-ranked team in NJCAA Division II, the NJCAA Division I No. 19-ranked Cowley College men's soccer team picked up a 2-0 win Saturday in Iola, KS.

The victory was the second straight shutout to open the season for the Tigers (2-0) as they knocked off Northeastern Oklahoma 5-0 in its season opener.

"This was a good game for us because we were able to play a lot of players," Cowley assistant coach Tanner Brock said.

On Saturday, Cowley got a first half goal from sophomore Luis Rodrigues off an assist from Shunnosuke Nakajima. The goal by Rodrigues was his second of the season.

"Luis' leadership has been even more impressive than his statistics," Brock said. "He works hard and has a passion for the game."

The score would remain 1-0 until late in the contest. Clinging to the lead, Cowley's Gabriel Verona scored off an assist from Takeru Moriyama to ice the game with 11:35 remaining.

"We had good ball movement on that goal," Brock said. "I hope this will give Verona confidence moving forward."

Tiger goalkeeper Rafael Furlani made his first start of the season and stopped both shots he faced in the 2-0 victory.

"Our ball possession was really good," Brock said. "We worked well as a team and having Furlani back there gave us an extra spark of confidence."

Cowley will remain on the road to play at Garden City Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Broncbusters are 3-0 to start the season.

"Garden City is a lot better than they were last season," Brock said. "We just need to compete and try to get a little better each day."