Box Score by Benny Benton
MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Nicole Smith scored the go-ahead goal for Barton College just before halftime and Emily Futral put the match away with a pair of quick strikes roughly 20 minutes into the second half as the Lady Bulldogs downed host Pfeiffer University, 4-1, in Conference Carolinas women's soccer play Tuesday afternoon.
Jodi Barber also collected her 10th goal of the year and provided the assist on both of Futral's scores to give her seven assists and 27 points for the year. She now leads the conference in points and assists, and is tied for the top spot in goals.
With the victory, Barton reached double-digit wins for the first time since a 14-5 season in 2005. It also defeated Pfeiffer for the first time since 2003.
The Lady Bulldogs, now 10-5 overall and 4-3 in the conference, moved a half-game ahead of idle Converse College for fourth place in the league, the final spot to host a first-round conference tournament match. Barton pulled within a half-game of Pfeiffer, which dropped to 9-6 overall and third place in the league at 5-3.
Pfeiffer came into Tuesday's match having won five matches in a row, and it didn't take the Falcons long to start thinking about victory number six. On the first shot of the match for either team just 9:04 into the contest, Aaliyah Jackson tucked the ball into the lower left corner of the net off an assist from Hannah Hill for her sixth goal of the year.
However, the lead only lasted roughly three minutes, as Futral sent a pass in front of the net to Barber, who fired it over the head of Pfeiffer starting keeper Natalie Marsh to tie the match at 1-all less than 13 minutes into the match.
Neither team mounted much of an attack until late in the period, when Barton began to see some opportunities. Another attack by Barber was blocked by a Falcon defender in the 39th minute, and a Kasey Byzewski shot was saved by Marsh two minutes later.
The Lady Bulldogs finally broke through in the final 1:30, set up by a Barton corner kick. Byzewski served the ball to Amanda Almonte, who touched it to Smith at the top of the box. Smith, a defender, beat Marsh with a shot into the upper left corner of the net, giving Barton a 2-1 lead. The goal was just the second of the junior's career, and would ultimately turn out to be her first career game-winner.
Pfeiffer tested Barton keeper Carson Moore a couple of times early in the second period, but the junior keeper stopped attempts from Jackson and Katlyn Stevens. Moore would finish the night with five saves.
Marsh had a strong save on a Taylor Parrish shot in the 57th minute, but five minutes later the Lady Bulldogs would seal the win with Futral's two goals, the first in the 63rd minute and the second in the 65th minute. The strikes gave the sophomore eight goals on the year, tied for third in the league.
The last score put an end to the day for the freshman keeper Marsh, who had entered the match having given up just one goal all year in six starts. Marsh had three saves in just over 64 minutes of action.
Barton also made it a tough day for Pfeiffer's leading scorer, Brae Buster. The freshman came into the match with eight goals, but did not get off a shot until the 75th minute, when the match was well out of hand, and it was saved by Moore.
The Lady Bulldogs return home on Saturday to face King University in a 1 p.m. match at the Barton Outdoor Athletic Complex. The match has been designated a Breast Cancer Awareness Game. It will also be one of several sporting events taking place as part of Homecoming Weekend.
