Tiger soccer team slips past 15th-ranked NOC-Tonkawa 2-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa (0-2-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Cowley County Community College (3-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Facing a ranked opponent in only its second match of the season, the No. 5-ranked Cowley College men's soccer team defeated 15th-ranked Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa 2-1 Wednesday at the Mark A. Phillips Athletic Complex.
With the win, the Tigers improve their record to 2-0 on the season.
"It was a great test for us," Cowley head coach Ruy Vaz said. "We were able to use many players and try a different formation while resting some other players who had more minutes in the previous game."
Wednesday's game would remain scoreless until Cowley sophomore Gabriel Atienza scored off a free kick a little over five minutes before halftime.
Cowley would increase its lead to 2-0 when freshman Yuto Toyoizumi scored off an assist from Shunnosuke Nakajima only seven minutes into the second half.
The Mavericks would make things interesting when Assanie Brown scored to pull NOC within 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining. However, Cowley would hold on for the 2-1 victory behind four saves from freshman goalkeeper Matthew Spiegel from Jenks, OK. Sophomore forward Tensei Sakaue also played well and was instrumental in the win.
"Tensei knows how to control the tempo of the game in all areas of the field," Vaz said. "Overall, we had a good performance, kept the ball well, and created good chances."
Cowley will remain home to face another ranked opponent on Friday as the Tigers will take on No. 11-ranked Western Texas College at 6:30 p.m.
"We won't have much time to prepare for Western Texas, but neither will they, so it will be an interesting match," Vaz said. "They are another strong, ranked team and a great challenge for us."
