Box Score by Benny Benton
BANNER ELK, N.C.-The Barton College women's soccer team saw its three-game winning streak come to an end Saturday with a 2-0 road setback to Lees-McRae College.
Meagan Thornton scored both goals for the Bobcats, the two-time defending Conference Carolinas champions. The league's 2011 Freshman of the Year scored from 15 yards out just over five minutes before halftime, then added a second goal from roughly the same distance 20 minutes into the second period.
The win left the Bobcats with a record of 3-1 in the league and 4-6 overall. Barton dropped to 2-2 in the conference and 6-4 overall.
The Lady Bulldogs, which had won six of their last seven matches, were limited to just one shot on goal by the Lees-McRae defense, that one coming off the foot of freshman Amanda Almonte just one minute before Thornton's second-half tally. Barton took a total of nine shots, compared to 17 by the Bobcats. Lees-McRae also enjoyed a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Lady Bulldogs had their best offensive push with 15 minutes left in the opening half, taking four shots in a three-minute span. However, a shot from Emily Futral was blocked by a defender, and three other attempts were all wide.
Barton keeper Carson Moore made five saves in the first 35 minutes before being beaten top-side by Thornton in the 40th minute. The Lady Bulldogs avoided falling behind 2-0 in the first half when Cheyenne Warrick's attempt hit the crossbar for the Bobcats.
Moore made three more saves in the second half, but Thornton was able to put away a shot off a deflected ball in the 66th minute.
Kaitlyn Briggs recorded her third shutout of the year in goal for Lees-McRae. It was also the third time this year that Barton has been held scoreless.
The Lady Bulldogs will attempt to get back on track Tuesday when they visit Laurinburg, N.C., to face former conference member St. Andrews, now a member of the NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference. Barton plays its next conference match at league-leading Belmont Abbey on Saturday.
