Tiger soccer team makes it two shutout wins in a row

Two games, two hat tricks. Playing host to McPherson College Thursday night at the Mark A. Phillips Track and Field Complex, the No. 3-ranked Cowley College men's soccer team, got a hat trick from freshman Leo Jaukovic in a 10-0 win over the Bulldogs.

Jaukovic's hat trick followed a hat trick by fellow freshman Shogo Haraikawa in Cowley's 11-0 season-opening win over the Friends University JV.

Filling in for head coach Ruy Vaz for the second straight game, Tiger assistant coach Marcos Ribeiro picked up his second career win.

"I am really happy for Leo; he had a couple of starts already this season and is still adapting to our style of play," Ribeiro said. "He has a lot of potential, so hopefully, this hat trick can boost his confidence, and he can keep growing and helping us."

On Thursday, Cowley got a pair of first-half goals from Sora Funakoshi as the Tigers built a 7-0 halftime lead. Jaukovic would score all three of his goals in the second half, as Cowley had seven players score in the victory.

"We are happy with the overall performance of the team," Ribeiro said. "We were able to set the tone early on, creating good chances from the first minutes of the game, which is something we work on with the players on a regular basis. Another thing that makes me happy is that the boys are hungry for goals. Another shout-out goes to our backline, who was able to keep another clean sheet."

Leonardo Schorr added a goal and two assists for the Tigers, while Cowley's other goals came from Shogo Haraikawa, Thiago Apolinario, Andre Ecker, and Mate Kenyeres.

"We are happy with the depth of the squad; we had a busy time recruiting 27 new players for this season, and it is always harder because it takes time for them to adjust to our style and philosophy," Ribeiro said. "However, the group has been great, and I can tell that they are all on the same page, which gets us excited for the season."

Cowley will open conference play by hosting Garden City Community College Sunday at 3 p.m. The Broncbusters are 3-0 on the season following a 2-1 win over Lamar Community College on Wednesday.

"Garden City will be the first challenge to start our conference journey," Ribeiro said. "It is always a hard game, so it is important for us to start strong. We had a great preseason, so now it's important to stay humble and work hard to keep growing."