by Kevin Buczek
TIGERVILLE, S.C.-The Barton College women's soccer team has a chance to win its season-high fourth consecutive game on Saturday when the Lady Bulldogs visit Conference Carolinas foe North Greenville University at 1 p.m.
Barton College Women's Soccer
Barton knocked off NAIA foe Columbia College, 4-1, on Wednesday for its third straight victory. The Lady Bulldogs, who are 4-3 on the road, also picked up road triumphs against St. Andrews University and regionally-ranked Belmont Abbey College during the squad's current streak.
The Lady Bulldogs have won three consecutive games on two other occasions this season but failed on extending the streak to four wins both times.
With a win Saturday, Barton (9-4 overall) would post its first 10-win season since the Lady Bulldogs went 14-5 in 2005. BC is tied for fourth in the league at 3-2 and hopes to remain in the top-4 to host a quarterfinal match in the Conference Carolinas Tournament in early November.
Sophomore forward Jodi Barber notched her first career hat trick in a Royal Blue and White uniform against the Fighting Koalas to take over the Barton team-lead with nine goals. Barber's nine tallies also rank second in Conference Carolinas. The Maysville, N.C., product also leads the league with five assists and 23 points.
Junior Emily Futral follows Barber with six goals, two assists and 14 points. Senior Taylor Parrish has five goals and one assists in eight games (has not played in the last three contests). Freshman Kathryn Smith (2 goals, 2 assists) netted her second collegiate goal against Columbia. Classmate Amanda Almonte added a pair of helpers to increase her assist total to three, which is one behind senior Kasey Byzewski's four assists. Sophomore Lindsay Rembecki (1 goal, 2 assists) also had an assist during Barber's hat trick.
Junior goalie Carson Moore continues to rank in the top five of the conference with a .833 save percentage and 1.12 goals against average. Moore leads the league in wins and has six shutouts on the season which is one behind the league leader (Lees-McRae's Kaitlyn Briggs).
Barton knocked off North Greenville with a 1-0 overtime win last season in Wilson on a golden goal by Parrish that was assisted by Futral. The Crusaders outshot the Lady Bulldogs, 17-10, but Moore made nine saves for one of her 11 career shutouts.
North Greenville University Women's Soccer
NGU has lost its last five matches – all by one goal – including four consecutive 1-0 defeats to league members Lees-McRae, Converse, Limestone and Pfeiffer. The Crusaders are 4-7 overall and 1-4 in the league. North Greenville is tied with Erskine for the eighth and final seed in the conference tournament with four league regular season games remaining on the schedule.
The Crusaders have only scored 11 total goals in their 11 games with Lindsay Tuten accounting for nearly half of them. Tuten leads North Greenville with five goals and 11 points. Courtney Etheridge (2 goals, 1 assist) and Ansley Dobbs (1 goal, 3 assists) are tied for second on the team with five points apiece.
Kathryn Tate has been busy protecting the Crusaders net this season averaging 7.2 saves per game. Tate, who has a 1.78 goals against average, ranks just behind Moore in sixth in the league with a save percentage of .800.
North Greenville does have a winning record in Tigerville, S.C., at 3-2 but has lost two straight at Pepsi Stadium.
Multimedia
North Greenville sports information will be providing live video (no stats) to Saturday's match.
Barton soccer fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
