Box Score by Benny Benton
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Kathryn Smith and Ashley Batchelor provided the offense and Barton College's defense shut down host University of Mount Olive to post its ninth shutout of the year, 2-0, Tuesday at Amon Field.
The victory was the fifth in a row for Barton (11-3-2, 6-3-1), which has gone unbeaten in seven straight (6-0-1).
Smith gave the Lady Bulldogs a lead just eight minutes into the match when she tapped in a cross from the right sideline by Emily Futral.
Batchelor added an insurance goal in the 70th minute when she fired in an attempt from the top of the box following a corner kick by Lane Brooks.
The goals were the fourth of the season for both Smith and Batchelor. Brooks picked up her fifth assist of the year and Futral collected her fourth.
The Lady Bulldogs largely controlled play, enjoying a 12-4 advantage in shots and taking all eight corner kicks in the contest. However, Barton put only half of its attempts on goal, with Mount Olive keeper Gigi Ramirez recording four saves.
The Trojans (5-11-1, 3-6-1), which lost their fifth straight match, put just two shots on goal against Barton's national top-15 defense, both stopped by Barton keeper Carson Moore, who ran her season record to 10-1-2 in goal and recorded her seventh shutout of the year.
The two sides played the last 15 minutes 10-on-10 after Batchelor and Mount Olive's Ellie Barnes were both issued red cards following a tussle.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs kept alive their chances for securing a top-four seed and a home match for the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament. Barton will earn the No. 4 spot if Belmont Abbey College loses to regionally-ranked Pfeiffer University on Friday and the Lady Bulldogs win their season-finale at King University on Saturday.
