Box Score by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C.–Jodi Barber recorded her first hat trick for Barton College Wednesday night, providing the final three goals in the Lady Bulldogs' 4-1 non-conference women's soccer win over visiting Columbia College.
The sophomore transfer from Maysville, N.C., now has nine goals on the season, which is tied for the lead in Conference Carolinas. She also assisted Barton's first goal, scored by freshman Kathryn Smith, to give her seven points for the night and 23 points for the season, which now leads the conference.
The victory was the third in a row for the Lady Bulldogs, now 9-4 on the year. The nine wins match the program's highest season win total since the 2006 campaign.
Columbia, a member of the NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference, is 12-4 on the year.
Three of the match's five goals came in a three-minute span early in the first half. In the 15th minute, Barber crossed a ball from the right sideline into the box, where Amanda Almonte touched it to Smith, who beat Columbia's starting keeper, Elise Grider, for her second career goal to give the Lady Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.
The Fighting Koalas, however, struck right back. In the 16th minute, Ashley Tanner, the NAIA Division I national leader in assists with 17, passed the ball from the top of the box out on the left wing, where Clare Williamson had worked free of her defender. Williamson beat Barton keeper Carson Moore in the one-on-one battle with a low shot to the far post, tying the match at 1-all.
Just over two minutes later, the Lady Bulldogs took the lead for good on the first of Barber's three goals, which came on a rebound of her own shot from inside the box that had been deflected by Grider.
The Fighting Koalas changed keepers at that point, replacing Grider with Lauren Zarefoss. But it didn't matter much, as Barber struck for two more goals.
The first came with 4:04 left before intermission on a play started from just beyond the midfield line by Lindsay Rembecki, who made a deep pass forward to Almonte, who then touched it toward the left wing. Seeing the play developing, Zarefoss came off the goal line and charged out to make the save, but Barber won the ball and was left with an easy open netter.
Barton enjoyed a 16-3 advantage in shots in the opening half, including a 9-2 margin in shots on goal, and that disparity continued in the second period. The Lady Bulldogs finished the night with a 28-7 margin in shots and a 15-5 differential in shots on goal. Barton also enjoyed a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Despite the lopsided lead in shots, the Lady Bulldogs found the net just once in the second half, as Barber put away a shot after Emily Futral had rocked the post on an attempt just moments earlier in the 74th minute.
Several other opportunities were stopped by Zarefoss, who recorded eight saves in just over 69 minutes of action in goal. Grider had three saves before being replaced.
Columbia's Jessica Martinez, who came into the match leading NAIA Division I in goals with 20, was limited to just one shot by the Barton defense, and that attempt was stopped by Moore, who had three saves in just over 80 minutes of play. Backup keeper Kelsey Rothwell saw her first action of the season in the game's final 10 minutes, recording one save.
Barton will return to Conference Carolinas play this weekend as it visits Tigerville, S.C., on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against North Greenville University.
