by Kevin Buczek
BELMONT, N.C.-The Barton College women's soccer team will be attempting to move over .500 in road game while trying to upset No. 6 NSCAA/Continental Tire Southeast Region ranked Belmont Abbey College at Alumni Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Barton College Women's Soccer
The Lady Bulldogs will be trying to finish off a winning four-game road swing that included a 2-0 shutout victory over St. Andrews University on Tuesday. Barton is 7-4 overall and 3-3 in road tilts. Barton lost its last Conference Carolinas clash at Lees-McRae College last Saturday to slip into a tie for fifth place in the league standings at 2-2.
Jodi Barber scored both BC goals in the triumph over the SAU Knights to move into the team lead in goals scored with six on the season. Barber also has four assists to increase her team-high point total to 16. The Maysville, N.C., product ranks second in the conference in points and tied for second in goals. Barber and senior Kasey Byzewski both have four assists, which is good for a three-way tie for first in the league.
Other top point producers for the Lady Bulldogs are sophomore Emily Futral (5G, 1A, 11P), Taylor Parrish (5G, 1A, 11P), Byzewski (4A, 4P), Kathryn Smith (1G, 2A, 4P) and Lindsay Rembecki (1G, 1A, 3P).
Barton is coming off its fifth shutout of the season. Junior goalie Carson Moore continues to be one of the league's best netminders ranking second in saves (67), fourth in goals against average (1.22) and fourth in save percentage (.827).
Barton lost to Belmont Abbey, 2-1, in the two squad's last meeting in Wilson, N.C., on Sept. 12, 2012. Rembecki scored the Lady Bulldogs lone goal on an assist by Futral.
Belmont Abbey College Women's Soccer
The Crusaders sit atop the league standings as the only team without a conference loss. Belmont Abbey is the defending Conference Carolinas Tournament champions and boast records of 8-2-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the league. BAC is coming off a 2-1 road win at Mount Olive on Tuesday. The Crusaders two losses on the season have come against two teams currently ranked ahead of them in the Southeast Region poll (No. 2 Armstrong Atlantic and No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne).
The Abbey has allowed more than one goal in a game just twice – it's two 2-1 losses. The Crusaders defense has only allowed nine goals in 11 games. Junior goalie Hannah Kohls ranks 21st nationally in NCAA Division II this week in both save percentage (.881) and in goals against average (0.54).
Senior Silvia Vazquez anchors a veteran lineup as a two-time all-conference performer. Ananda Gebreyesus and Meghan Philp have accounted for over half of the team's 17 goals with five scores apiece.
Belmont Abbey has won 11 consecutive games against Barton with the Bulldogs last win coming in 2002.
Multimedia
Belmont Abbey will not be providing live stats or video for Saturday's soccer doubleheader.
Barton women's soccer fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
