Tigers tie season-high for goals in playoff win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cowley County Community College (13-4-0, 6-4) | 4 | 2 | 6 |
|
Neosho County Community College (11-6-0, 5-2) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Getting two goals apiece from Sora Funakoshi and Caique Trivelato, the fourth-seeded Cowley College men's soccer team destroyed top-seeded Neosho County 6-1 Thursday in the semifinals of the District Playoffs played at Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex.
The Tigers (13-4) advance to face third-seeded Johnson County (14-6) Saturday at 8 p.m. in the championship match. The winner will advance to play at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament November 13-19 in Melbourne, FL.
On Thursday, Cowley scored three goals in the first 15 minutes and never looked back.
"We set the tone early, and that gave us a huge momentum in the first 15 minutes of the game," Cowley head coach Ruy Vaz said. "In games like this, having this positive and aggressive approach helped a lot."
Funakoshi got the scoring started just over six minutes into Thursday's game, and Trivelato added his first goal only two minutes later. The Tigers' lead would balloon to 4-0 thanks to other first-half goals by Pedro Arcoverde and Yuto Toyoizumi.
The Panthers (11-6) lone goal came when Max Russell scored with 11:39 left in the opening half.
Funakoshi and Trivelato would add their second goals of the game in the first 12 minutes of the second half, and the Tigers cruised to the 6-1 win. The six goals matched a season-high previously set in a 6-0 win against Allen County.
"I am pleased with our performance mainly because we were able to create opportunities that resulted in goals," Vaz said.
Trivelato has scored three goals in the past two games and leads the team with eight goals on the season.
Cowley goalkeepers Rafael Furlani and Matthew Spiegel also played well as they combined to stop seven of the eight shots they faced.
The Tigers and Johnson County met on October 1, with Cowley winning 3-1. This time a shot at the national tournament will be on the line.
"On Saturday, we have a great battle, a big challenge against a very organized Johnson County team," Vaz said. "We will use this extra day to recover, reset, and prepare."