bartonsports.com – Two road victories and contributions throughout the roster has the Barton Community College men’s soccer team out to a 3-0 start to the season and movement up to the 19th spot of the latest NJCAA Division I men’s soccer poll.

Leading the Cougars has been the attacking play of sophomore Gabriel Arraes and the anchor of the defense in freshman goalkeeper Oliver Semmle as the duo has been named week two’s KJCCC Players of the Week.

Accounting for half of the Cougars’ goals last week in the perfect road swing, Arraes led an early two goal deficit comeback at Western Texas College last Wednesday in tying the contest with consecutive goals giving a huge mental lift in the eventual 4-3 overtime victory. In Saturday’s game at NOC-Tonkawa, Arraes gave Barton a late first half goal to send the Cougars to the break with a 2-0 lead before demoralizing the Mavericks ten minutes in the final frame for a three goal lead. On the season Arraes is tied atop the KJCCC standings in goals (5) and points (10).

With WTC hanging a pair of goals in the first three minutes on their home turf in Snyder, Texas, Semmle and the Barton defense reorganized and surrendered just a late goal but stayed the course in prevailing on top in the come from behind victory. Saturday at NOC-Tonkawa, Semmle and the Cougar back line kept the sheet clean allowing just two attempts on frame keeping Barton perfect in an early season pivotal road stretch.

Having its conference opener cancelled today against Garden City Community College, next up for the Cougars is a trip north for the weekend traveling to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a 4:00 p.m. Saturday kick-off at Iowa Western Community College before venturing to Norfolk, Nebraska, on Sunday for another 4:00 p.m. kick in taking on Northeast Community College.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs headed into training camp in late July content with a pair of veterans in Daniel Sorensen and Eric Berry as their starting safeties.

Now, there’s a good chance neither will start in their season opener Sunday.

Sorensen broke a bone in his lower leg during training camp and had surgery about a month ago, and is starting the season on injured reserve. Berry has been dealing with a heel injury that not only kept him out most of training camp but sidelined him during practice on Wednesday.

The exact nature of his injury hasn’t been disclosed, but Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder put a positive spin on it Wednesday by saying the five-time Pro Bowl selection is “getting better every day.”

“We’ll see if he can practice and we’ll just go from there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I want to see what he’s got, if and when he does that. But then I’ll make the decision, what I see there.”

Berry may be the only player on the entire Chiefs roster who could conceivably play without having practiced in a month. But even for him, Reid conceded, that would be asking a bit much, especially with the season opener coming on the road against Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers.

“If he doesn’t practice today, which he’s not, we go with the next man up and they roll. That’s how we go,” Reid said. “We’re used to that here, just philosophically, at all positions.”

So instead of having a pair of veteran starters in Sorensen and Berry, the Chiefs are poised to start Ron Parker — who was cut by the Falcons last week and re-signed with Kansas City over the weekend — and either Eric Murray or fourth-round draft pick Armani Watts.

Parker spent the past four seasons with the Chiefs before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, so he’s at least familiar with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme. But he admitted it’s a challenge to get up to speed in such a compressed timeframe for a division rival.

“I’m just preparing myself like I do any other time. Whatever the coaches ask, whatever they need,” he said. “I feel like especially being in Bob’s system and knowing what’s going on, that’s going to maximize my abilities. That’s the good thing coming back to Kansas City.”

Parker played well his first three seasons with the Chiefs but appeared to take a step back last year, and that’s part of why he was released. He said a high ankle injury sustained in training camp played a part in that, and that he’s glad to begin a season healthy again.

He just hopes it will be with Berry by his side.

“I’ve been playing with Eric,” Parker said, “so I can just look over there and I don’t have to say a thing. We know what each other is doing. With the other guys, we have to communicate with each other, of course. But everything is coming together.”

Murray has appeared in 30 games over his first two seasons, starting twice, so he at least lends a bit of experience to the defensive backfield. Watts showed flashes in the preseason — he picked off two passes in the finale against Green Bay — but hasn’t been in the regular-season fire.

It speaks volumes that Parker, who just rejoined the team, already has been peppered with questions by the rest of the young guys in the defensive backs room.

“It’s difficult,” he said, “but the trust those guys have in me, and the trust I have in those guys, everything will take care of itself. We’ll handle our business.”

NOTES: WR Byron Pringle, who hurt his hamstring in the Chiefs’ preseason finale and was put on IR, had an MRI exam that also revealed a hernia. Burkholder said the rookie underwent surgery Tuesday. “He has an extended recovery ahead of him, and in the meantime the hamstring will heal,” Burkholder said. … Burkholder said Sorensen continues to do rehab work in the pool, but it will be a couple more weeks before the Chiefs have a timetable for his return. “He’s where he’s supposed to be right now,” Burkholder said.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber says the goal each time he takes the mound is to give the Cleveland Indians a chance to win, rather than getting the W himself.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is doing pretty well in both departments.

Kluber became the first 18-game winner in the majors this season, striking out 10 and pitching the Indians past the Kansas City Royals 3-1 Wednesday.

“I don’t pay attention to it,” he said. “There’s going to be times things are out of your control. You might pitch fairly well and the guy on the other side pitches lights out.”

“More so than actually getting the win, it’s giving our team a chance to win. That’s what I base things on,” he said.

The Indians moved closer to their third straight AL Central title and reduced their magic number for clinching the division to nine.

Kluber (18-7) is a major reason the Indians will be playing again in October. He allowed one run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings. He was pulled after throwing 105 pitches.

Kluber has won six of his last seven decisions and is a leading candidate to be chosen the league’s best pitcher for the third time in five seasons. Luis Severino of the Yankees was set to start Wednesday night at Oakland.

“The last couple times out, seemed like he started to get the feel back. That’s fun to watch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Royals manager Ned Yost watched Kluber retire the first 10 hitters before Kansas City got its only two hits of the game.

Alex Gordon lined a double on a 3-2 pitch in the fourth. Hunter Dozier struck out, but rookie Ryan O’Hearn’s long drive was over center fielder Greg Allen’s head and fell for an RBI triple.

The right-hander struck out Jorge Bonifacio to get out of the brief jam and retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced.

Cleveland used three relievers to complete the two-hitter. Brad Hand struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save since being acquired from San Diego and 32nd this season.

The game began in sweltering conditions with the temperature at 91 degrees for the first pitch.

Brad Keller (7-6) allowed three runs — one earned — in seven-plus innings and lost for the first time since Aug. 7.

“I felt like my fastball was pretty good and I hydrated myself all last night, so once the adrenaline kicked in when I got out there, I felt pretty good the whole time,” he said.

Edwin Encarnacion’s RBI grounder broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth. Allen’s RBI single in the second gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead before Kansas City tied it.

Michael Brantley’s one-out single started the go-ahead rally. Shortstop Alcides Escobar couldn’t handle Yandy Diaz’s chopper and Brantley took third when the ball rolled into the outfield on the error. Encarnacion’s grounder put Cleveland ahead.

Jason Kipnis had a sacrifice fly and two hits.

Cody Allen, the Indians’ closer until Hand was acquired, struck out two and retired all three hitters in the eighth. Oliver Perez struck out the only batter he faced and Cleveland’s pitchers combined to fan 16.

Royals right fielder Brett Phillips was out of the lineup after running full-speed into the wall chasing Jose Ramirez’s fly ball Tuesday. He was removed from the game an inning later. Phillips was diagnosed with a bruised right shoulder.

DONALDSON PLAN

Indians 3B Josh Donaldson was scheduled to play for Double-A Akron against Altoona in the first game of the best-of-five Eastern League playoffs on Wednesday. He’s on the disabled list with a strained left calf, which has prevented him from playing in a major league game since May 28.

Donaldson, acquired from Toronto on Friday, is eligible to be activated Sept. 11. It’s unclear how many minor league games he’ll play before joining the Indians.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (sore shoulder) will not pitch again this season after leaving his Tuesday start in the first inning. Duffy was on the disabled list from Aug. 13-23 with a similar injury and recently received an anti-inflammatory shot.

“The doctors said he can’t have another shot for a while, so it makes sense just to shut him down,” manager Ned Yost said.

Indians: LHP Andrew Miller (sore shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in Toronto. He’s been on the disabled list since Aug. 29.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer (2-1, 4.01 ERA) opens a three-game series Friday in Minnesota.

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (8-3, 4.66 ERA) starts Thursday at Toronto.

Class 6A
1. Blue Valley North 3-0 (1)
2. Blue Valley 3-0 (7)
3. Olathe Northwest 1-1 (2)
4. Blue Valley West 1-1 (6)
5. Washburn Rural 4-1 (3)
6. Lawrence 1-0 (9)
7. Garden City 4-1 (10)
8. Mill Valley 2-1 (NR)
9. Topeka 4-0 (NR)
10. Gardner-Edgerton 1-2 (5)

Class 5A
1. St. James Academy 3-0 (1)
2. Lansing 5-0 (3)
3. De Soto 4-2 (4)
4. Newton 8-0 (NR)
5. Bishop Carroll 0-0 (5)
6. Maize South 7-1 (8)
7. McPherson 6-2 (10)
8. Valley Center 6-2 (NR)
9. Hays 0-0 (9)
10. Andover 7-1 (NR)

Class 4A
1. Topeka-Hayden 4-1 (2)
2. Buhler 6-1 (NR)
3. Louisburg 2-2 (3)
4. Ulysses 6-0 (9)
5. Andale 5-2 (4)
6. Bishop Miege 1-1 (NR)
7. Rose Hill 1-1 (1)
8. Chanute 8-0 (NR)
9. Independence 3-0 (10)
10. Circle 2-0 (7)

Class 3A
1. Royal Valley 13-0 (3)
2. Nemaha Central 6-2 (1)
3. Beloit 2-0 (5)
4. Pratt 10-1 (NR)
5. Hesston 8-2 (6)
6. Silver Lake 4-1 (8)
7. Perry-Lecompton 7-1 (NR)
8. Halstead 6-2 (NR)
9. Wellsville 5-0 (NR)
10. Burlington 5-2 (2)

Class 2A
1. Garden Plain 2-0 (6)
2. St. Mary’s-Colgan 2-0 (3)
3. St. Marys 2-0 (8)
4. Sedgwick 6-1 (9)
5. Bishop Seabury 7-2 (NR)
6. Heritage Christian 3-3 (1)
7. Maranatha Christian 5-0 (NR)
8. Smith Center 2-1 (2)
9. Ness City 4-0 (NR)
10. Meade 2-1 (4)

Class 1A
1. Centralia 7-0 (1)
2. South Central 8-0 (9)
3. Sylvan-Lucas 2-0 (2)
4. Goessel 2-0 (3)
5. Solomon 7-0 (NR)
6. Thunder Ridge 4-0 (6)
7. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton 2-0 (7)
8. Spearville 3-0 (NR)
9. Central Plains 3-0 (NR)
10. Otis-Bison 6-1 (NR)