Dodge City men's soccer struggled for the second straight match against a top-10-ranked opponent, falling to #6 Barton 4-1 in Jayhawk Conference action.
The Conquistadors, with the loss, fall to 3-4-2 on the season and 1-2 in KJCCC play.
Barton put the Conqs on their heels early as the Cougars controlled possession throughout the first half, but the Conqs kept them off the board for a while. In the 16
th minute, Barton earned a penalty kick, but
Rensho Ishikawa saved it to keep the game scoreless. The game remained gridlocked at 0-0 until the final six minutes of the first half, as Barton got on the board, and then, off a corner kick, added another less than three minutes later to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead at intermission.
In the second half, the Conqs had limited chances, but Barton pounced on another opportunity early in the second half, scoring in the 54
th minute. Barton added another in the 86
th minute from a corner, and the Conqs kept fighting to the end as
Haruki Nozu pushed the ball forward on a long ball, and
Isaiah Fonseca scored with three seconds remaining as the Conqs fell 4-1.
The Conqs were drastically outshot in the loss, as Barton outshot them 23-5. Conqs had just a pair of shots on goal in the contest.
Up next, the Conqs are back on the road as they are set to take on Seward County on Saturday, September 26
th, in Liberal at 6:00 pm.
