Lady Tiger soccer wins battle of ranked opponents

In a matchup of teams ranked in the top 10 in the latest NJCAA Division I soccer rankings, the No. 10-ranked Cowley College women's soccer team got a goal from sophomore Ada Ronnemaa with just under eight minutes remaining in its game at No. 8-ranked Hutchinson Community College and held on to win 1-0.

The victory moves Cowley into a three-way tie for first place in the Jayhawk Conference with a record of 5-1-2. The loss was the first of the season for Hutchinson (7-1-3), as they are now 4-1-3 in the conference.

"It is always big-time when we can win against a tough opponent on the road," Cowley head coach Roberto dos Santos said. "The loss against Kansas City did not sit well with the girls. They came out focused and ready to play against Hutchinson."

The Lady Tigers controlled the game as they out-shot Hutchinson 16-11 and finally broke through on Ronnemaa's first goal of the season. Nanaka Inaba assisted on the goal by sending a free kick to Ronnemaa. The assist for Inaba was her team-leading fifth of the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kanon Dehama stopped all five shots she faced and recorded her first shutout of the season.

Cowley will have a week off before playing at Garden City on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lady Broncbusters (5-5-2) are just 1-5-2 in the conference. However, the Lady Tigers had to rally from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Garden City 3-2 back on August 27 in Arkansas City.

"It is good to be getting a much-needed break before we begin the second leg of the conference schedule," dos Santos said. "It is always difficult to play the same team twice in a season."

Photo Credit: James Dill