by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C.–Two teams tied for second place in Conference Carolinas will battle it out when Barton College visits Lees-McRae College for a women's soccer matchup Saturday. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Tate Field.
Barton College Women's Soccer
The Lady Bulldogs won for the sixth time in their last seven matches Tuesday night, using a goal by senior Taylor Parrish 3:34 into the second overtime frame to defeat host Bluefield College, 2-1. Barton took a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute on sophomore Emily Futral's goal and held the advantage until the Rams produced the equalizer with just under four minutes to go in regulation.
Parrish and Futral each have five goals this year, which lead the team and tie for third-most in Conference Carolinas. The two have 11 points each, which is tied for fifth in the league. Sophomore Jodi Barber shares the conference lead in assists with four and also has four goals for 12 points, which ties for third in the league.
Barton has given up just three goals in its last seven matches. Junior keeper Carson Moore ranks third in the conference in saves (54) and save percentage (.818) and boasts a 1.26 goals against average. She recorded a season-high 12 saves in the win over Bluefield.
The Lady Bulldogs have split their last six meetings with Lees-McRae, with Barton winning three straight between 2007 and 2009 (Barton's last win in Banner Elk, N.C.), and the Bobcats taking the last three matchups.
Lees-McRae College Women's Soccer
The Bobcats, two-time defending regular-season champions of Conference Carolinas, were projected to once again contend for a title, with the preseason coaches' poll picking them second behind Belmont Abbey.
And while Lees-McRae is still in a position to do so, it has not produced the kind of season expected of a program returning the four leading scorers and six all-conference players from a team that went 10-1 in the league and 12-5-1 overall last year.
The Bobcats dropped six of their first seven matches in 2013 before posting victories in their two most recent outings, wins over North Greenville and Pfeiffer. Sophomore Sarah Mahar, the team's leading scorer and first-team all-conference pick from a year ago, struck for a pair of goals in the 3-2 victory over the Falcons Thursday. Mahar scored her first goal just 30 seconds into the match, and provided the game-winner with just 1:14 to play in regulation.
Lees-McRae has scored just six goals this season, including two in the 1-6 start. Mahar has four of the six, with Meagan Thornton and Lena Langille accounting for the other two. Thornton also has one of the team's four assists.
Mahar had nine goals and three assists last year. MaryBeth Sullivan had five goals and seven assists, Erica Allen had six goals and two assists, and Kaitlyn Kerrigan had three goals and eight assists. The quartet is part of a group of 14 letter-winners back from 2012.
In addition to Mahar, Kerrigan was also a first-team all-conference pick. MaryBeth Sullivan was named to the second team and three others – Mallory Overholt, Ariana Smith and LeeAnn Sullivan, were all selected to the third team.
Junior Kaitlyn Briggs has started six of the Bobcats' nine matches, with a 1.28 goals against average and 40 saves, which both rank fifth in the conference. She ranks second in the league in save percentage (.833) and fourth in goals allowed (8).
Lees-McRae defeated Barton 3-1 last year in Wilson, N.C., with Thornton, Kerrigan and Allen all striking for the Bobcats.
Multimedia
Lees-McRae sports information will be providing live video and live stats of 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.
