Box Score by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College sophomore Taylor Doeble tallied a first-half goal and the BC defense made the score stand up as the Lady Bulldogs claimed a 1-0 shutout over visiting Erskine College Saturday in the Conference Carolinas women's soccer opener for both teams.
The victory at the Barton Outdoor Athletics Complex gave first-year head coach Thomas Goines his first home win and first league triumph. Barton improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Erskine dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Junior transfer Tanya Garcia set up Doeble's game-winning goal, firing a cross from wide on the right wing. Both Doeble and Erskine keeper Ashton Burgess went up for the ball in front of the net, but it was Doeble who was able to settle the ball and then tap it in for the goal with just under eight minutes left in the first half.
It was Doeble's first goal of the year and fourth of her career. The assist by Garcia was her first while wearing the Royal Blue and White.
Barton enjoyed a significant 19-8 advantage in shots in the contest, including an 8-3 edge in attempts on goal. Doeble, a resident of Punta Gorda, Fla., had half of BC's eight shots on goal, with the other three stopped by Burgess. The Flying Fleet keeper had a total of seven saves, including a pair of nice stops against BC senior Emily Futral. On top of those saves, Futral was also denied a goal 15 minutes into the first half when an attempt clanked off the left post but stayed in play.
Doeble's score came less than a minute after Barton's senior keeper, Kelsey Rothwell, had recorded a save on a shot by the Flying Fleet's Molly Graham. Rothwell added two more saves in the second half in posting her second shutout of the year.
The Lady Bulldogs will play their first Conference Carolinas road match on Wednesday when they travel to Misenheimer, N.C., for a 5 p.m. matchup with Pfeiffer University. The contest will be the league opener for the Falcons.
