Box Score by Benny Benton
BELMONT, N.C. – Barton College was shut out for just the second time this year after being held to a season-low two shots in a 3-0 loss at Belmont Abbey College on Wednesday.
The Crusaders, one of two teams still remaining without a loss in Conference Carolinas play, collected the only goal it would need in the 34th minute when Jillian Lang put away a rebound of her own deflected shot following a corner kick.
Belmont Abbey (9-2-1, 7-0) would score again off a set piece in the 63rd minute when Cassidy Coutinho served a corner kick into the box and Laura Shelton headed it past Barton keeper Kelsey Rothwell to put the Crusaders up 2-0.
Coutinho collected another assist – her team-high fifth of the year – in the 77th minute when Kooba Richard received her pass on the right wing and fired the ball inside the far post for her third goal of the season.
Barton (5-4-2, 2-3-2), which dropped its second straight match after a three-game winning streak, was held without a shot until Emily Futral's header missed wide four minutes into the second half.
Futral had a golden opportunity to score for the sixth consecutive match after the Crusaders were called for a foul inside the box in the 78th minute. However, Belmont Abbey keeper Megan Bowen dove to her left to knock down Futral's penalty kick attempt and keep the Lady Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
The save was the only one of the contest for Bowen. Rothwell produced five saves while facing eight shots on goal and 16 total attempts by the Crusaders.
The Lady Bulldogs will face the league's other unbeaten team in their next outing when they host Limestone College in a 2 p.m. match on Saturday at the Barton Outdoor Athletic Complex. The Saints are 8-0 in the conference and 11-1 overall after a 2-1 victory over King University on Wednesday.
