Box Score by Benny Benton
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Barton College women's soccer team saw its five-match win streak and seven-match unbeaten streak come to an end Friday on an overtime goal at King University which gave the Tornado a 2-1 victory.
The Lady Bulldogs (11-4-2, 6-4-1) had also gone unbeaten in their last 12 overtime matches (8-0-4) before King's Eydis Eysteinsdottir banked a shot off the crossbar and into the net for the game-winner at the 8:33 mark of the first overtime.
The loss ended Barton's hopes of playing a home match in the opening round of next week's Conference Carolinas Tournament. Instead, the Lady Bulldogs will hit the road as the No. 6 seed against an opponent yet to be determined.
Eysteinsdottir had nearly ended the match for King (10-7, 7-4) on the first shot of overtime when she ripped a shot off the crossbar, but that attempt stayed out, and a follow attempt by the league's leading scorer, Rachel Thorpe, missed wide right.
The Tornado continued its assault in the extra period, taking four more shots before Eysteinsdottir ricocheted her second attempt of the period off the bar and past Barton keeper Carson Moore. The goal, her second of the year, was set up by a pass from the right side by Kendyl Baird.
The Lady Bulldogs did not get off a shot in the overtime period and managed just four the entire match, leaving Moore to face a barrage of 20 attempts from King.
Moore recorded eight saves, two of them on impressive stops in the extra period, but surrendered the same number of goals in the match, two, that she had allowed in her last 10 matches combined.
The Tornado took the first six shots of the match, the last of those finding the net when Thorpe accepted a pass from Catherine Walsh, dribbled past a defender on the left wing and fired a perfectly placed ball into the upper right corner for her league-high 15th goal of the year. Walsh's assist was her eighth of the season, which also leads the conference.
Despite a 12-2 shot deficit at the time, Barton made everything equal on the scoreboard in the 58th minute when Kasey Byzewski launched a long pass from the defensive end and sophomore Kathryn Smith beat King keeper Nicole Dagher, who had come off her line to get the ball. The goal was the fifth of the year for Smith and the assist was the first of the year for Byzewski.
Given a new start, Barton's defense tightened up at that point, giving up just four more shots the rest of the period, but the Lady Bulldogs could generate just one more attempt on offense before heading to overtime.
Barton still has three possible opponents for Tuesday's tournament match, all depending on the outcome of Limestone's home match against Erskine on Saturday. If the Saints (9-3-3) defeat the Flying Fleet (3-12-1), the No. 3 seed and the Lady Bulldogs' opponent would be Pfeiffer. However, if the two teams tie, then BC would face Limestone, and if the Saints lose, then Barton would play Belmont Abbey.
