by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Barton College has advanced to postseason competition for the first time since 2008. The Lady Bulldogs have earned the third seed in the Conference Carolinas Women's Soccer Tournament and will host sixth-seeded North Greenville University in the quarterfinals on Monday at 7 p.m.
Admission to the Barton Outdoor Athletic Complex to watch the match is free to all fans.
The Barton-North Greenville winner will play the winner of the No. 7 seed Limestone College at No. 2 seed Belmont Abbey College in the semifinals on Thursday. The Belmont Abbey Crusaders host the Limestone Saints on Monday at 2 p.m. The highest remaining seed will host Thursday. The other half of the bracket features fifth-seeded Converse College visiting fourth-seeded Pfeiffer University at 2 p.m., and eighth-seeded King University playing at top-seeded Lees-McRae College at 7 p.m. The championship game will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. (higher seed).
Barton College Women's Soccer
The Lady Bulldogs ended the regular season on a season-long, four-match win streak. Barton needed a win or tie on Senior Night to earn a home playoff game and the Lady Bulldogs came through with a 2-1 victory Saturday over a young but talented Converse squad.
Barton – picked ninth in the league's preseason coaches' poll – earned the third seed with a 6-3 conference record.
The Lady Bulldogs were just .500 in the league at 3-3 after losing to North Greenville in Tigerville, S.C., on Oct. 19, but Barton finished the season with three consecutive conference wins against playoff teams in Pfeiffer, King and Converse to move up the rankings.
Barton boasts a 13-5 overall record and a 7-1 mark at home.
Sophomore Jodi Barber and senior Taylor Parrish each had three-point performances in BC's last win against the Valkyries. Barber scored the opening goal on a double assist by Parrish and freshman Kathryn Smith before Parrish scored the eventual game-winner in the second half on a give-and-go play with Barber.
Barber finished the regular season sitting atop the Conference Carolinas statistical rankings in all three major offensive categories with 14 goals, nine assists and 37 points.
Sophomore Emily Futral and Parrish both sneak into the top-10 of the league in points with 20 and 19 points, respectively. The duo is tied for fifth in the league with eight goals apiece. Senior Kasey Byzewski is second in the conference in assists, one behind Barber with eight helpers.
Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs are anchored by junior goalie Carson Moore and a starting back line of Byzewski, senior Adrianna Jimenez, junior Nicole Smith and sophomore Lindsay Rembecki. Moore is fourth in the league with a .826 save percentage and 1.10 goals against average. BC's six shutouts are third most behind eight by Lees-McRae and seven by Belmont Abbey.
Barton continues to rank third in the league in most goals scored per game (2.2) and fewest goals allowed per game (1.12).
Barber registered Barton's only shot on goal in the Lady Bulldogs road loss to NGU. Moore was slightly busier facing three Crusader shots on goal, making a pair of saves in the first half before allowing the contest's lone goal in the 69th minute.
The Lady Bulldogs did defeat North Greenville, 1-0, in overtime the last time the two teams met in Wilson. Parrish netted the golden goal on an assist by Futral in the 93rd minute.
North Greenville University Women's Soccer
The Crusaders won three of their last four league games, starting with the victory against Barton, to move up to the sixth seed in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. North Greenville picked up late season wins against King and Erskine before losing its regular-season finale to Belmont Abbey on Saturday. The Crusaders tied for fifth in the league but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Converse.
North Greenville (7-9 overall, 4-5 conf.) – picked to finish last in the preseason coaches' poll – will be making its first-ever Conference Carolinas postseason appearance since joining the league at the beginning of the 2011 season. The Crusaders did not win a conference match last season (0-9-2).
NGU has only scored 17 goals in 16 games but a stingy defense anchored by Division I transfer Katie Tate has helped the Crusaders hover around the .500 mark all season. After transferring from the College of Charleston, Tate has become a fixture in net with 1.63 goals against average and .781 save percentage. A veteran defensive unit of upperclassmen Cara Woolford, Erin McLure and Brooke Domingo lead the Crusader back line along with rookie Karis Hoover.
Lindsay Tuten has nearly half of North Greenville's 17 goals. Tuten is tied for the most goals scored in the league by a freshman this season finding the back of the net eight times.
Caroline Baker – who scored the game-winner against Barton – and Courtney Etheridge are the only other Crusaders to have scored more than once with two goals apiece. Ansley Dobbs has a team-high four assists.
The Crusaders, who have not played on the road since Oct. 12, are just 1-5 away from home.
Multimedia
Barton sports information will be providing live stats to Monday's Conference Carolinas Tournament quarterfinal match against North Greenville.
Barton soccer fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
