Cowley stuns Butler Soccer in final minutes

EL DORADO, Kan. – A high scoring affair ended in heartbreak for the ninth-ranked Butler Grizzlies on Saturday evening at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex as 18th-ranked Cowley College scored twice in the final five minutes to steal the game, 4-3.

Butler (1-2-4, 0-2-3 KJCCC) led throughout the game. The Tigers (3-0-1, 3-0-1 KJCCC) played from behind until a goal in the 87th minute tied the game and they eventually won it nearly two minutes later, late in the 88th minute. Butler is still on the search for its first KJCCC win and it will play three straight conference games on the road beginning this coming week at Garden City on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.

Sophomore Kaitlin Erwin (Goddard) got the scoring started as she tapped a ball in the back left of the net off an assist from freshman Saki Matsumoto (Tanabe, Japan) in the eighth minute of the first half. Cowley tied the game as Hina Susuki scored her first of two goals on the night, making it 1-1 in the 24th minute.

Eight minutes later, Grizzly freshman Macie Windsor (Essex, England) netted her first career goal off an assist from freshman Zonia Marshall (St. Kitts), putting Butler up 2-1. Once again, Cowley answered as Nanaka Inaba scored in the 40th minute, unassisted.

The two teams went to halftime tied at two.

Butler went ahead 3-2 in the 63rd minute as freshman Alex Robson (Dundee, Scotland) scored her first collegiate goal after she chipped in the ball past the Cowley goalie after a perfectly placed assist from sophomore Emma Kolbe from nearly midfield (Mulvane). It woukd be the Grizzlies last time on the board.

The two teams played a physical back-and-forth game for the next 24 minutes until Cowley's Susuki netter her second goal to tie the game in the 87th minute as she outpaced Butler's defense and snuck a shot in between two defenders.

Shockingly, Cowley would strike again at the 88:49 mark as Lea Evin headed in a goal off an assist from an Inaba corner kick and Cowley snuck away from El Dorado with the conference win.

The Grizzlies are on the road for their next three games. They kick the road stretch off at Garden City on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.