Box Score by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Senior Archer Bane supplied the Barton College men's soccer team with a five-point performance en route to a dominating 4-2 Conference Carolinas conquest over local rival Mount Olive College on both Pink and Spirit Night at the Barton Outdoor Athletic Complex Wednesday.
The Bulldogs scored the contests first four goals and nearly flirted with a shutout until Trojan junior Bright Eto scored a pair of late tallies in the final seven minutes to trim the final MOC deficit in half. Barton improved to 1-4-1 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Trojans remained winless at 0-6 and 0-2.
Bane scored the first and last goals for the host Bulldogs and assisted on the second one scored by junior Dante De Luca. Sophomore Kevin Strassburger accounted for the hosts other marker.
Bane and De Luca lead the Royal Blue and White with three goals apiece. Barton only scored three goals in its first five games before scoring four times against Mount Olive. The four scores are the most the Bulldogs have registered in a league game since defeating Queens University of Charlotte 6-2 just three days shy of two years ago on Sept. 28, 2011.
Junior Erik Pajunk recorded a pair of assists to increase his team-high helper total to four while Strassburger added his third assist of the season and senior Ricardo Oliveira chipped in one assist for the victors.
"We all pretty much understand we have a very good team out here that just didn't quite click offensively," said Barton head coach Matt Akins when questioned about his team finally scoring a bunch of goals after a slow start to the season. "We have been unlucky in some opportunities to score this year against some extremely tough competition combined with just not finding the back of the net. We got the players, but just fell a little short early. I think this will be a confidence builder and to reaffirm what we're doing is correct with the guys. They attacked the goal very well tonight and when we do that I think goals will come a little easier for us."
Barton concludes its season-long, six-match home stand on Saturday when the Bulldogs entertain Limestone College at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year's Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game. The Saints, who won that contest 6-1, are currently ranked second in the Southeast Region and are receiving votes in the national top-25 poll.
Coach Akins added, "We all know we are a better team than what we were in the conference championship last year and we're very excited to have that match-up again. It's just like that match against Pembroke… they drubbed us at their home last year and we were real excited to match up with them and it was real emotional and hurt when we came up short in a close game that we thought we could win [Barton lost to UNCP – currently ranked first in the region – 1-0 this year after losing to them 6-0 in 2012]. While we are focused on Mount Olive today, I know that it's not going to take much at all to get them motivated to play Limestone and show them that we are a completely different team and put them on their heels from the first whistle."
Bane put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the 29th minute by one-timing a through pass by Pajunk.
Barton maintained a 1-nil lead through halftime until De Luca doubled up the hosts' advantage in the 49th minute. De Luca completed the scoring sequence after a series of header passes by Oliveira and Bane. Just four minutes later, Stassburger netted his first goal of the season with a pretty shot off Pajunk's second assist. Bane capped the Bulldogs run of four unanswered goals with a header inside the near post off a Strassburger corner kick from the right sideline in the 76th minute.
After both teams made numerous substitutions, Eto was able to find some space to spoil the shutout bid. Eto first capitalized in the 84th minute on a pass by freshman John Sonnendecker. Eto's second goal in the 87th minute was a rocket that he blasted from 15-yards out to the upper-right corner.
Barton held a commanding 18-9 shot advantage and had several other scoring chances including a Pajunk shot in the 42nd minute that was saved by MOC junior defender Tanner Tolston on the goal line and a Da Luca header in the 48th minute that rattled off the cross bar.
Barton senior goalie Vasily Yakimkin made two saves en route to his first win. Sophomore counterpart Aleksandar Drobac logged three saves for the Trojans.
