Box Score by Doug Page
WILSON, N.C. – Freshmen Pol Monells scored a pair of goals as the Barton College men's soccer team defeated Shaw University 2-0 at home on Wednesday in non-conference action.
Monells, who entered the contest as the top goal-scorer for the Bulldogs, gave Barton (4-9-1) a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute of action. Freshman Ruben Mancio played a through-ball that would leave Monells in a one-on-one with the Shaw goalkeeper. Monells finished the play by depositing the ball into the right corner of the goal.
The Bears (4-6-2) looked to take an early lead as Zola Mafolo Rodriguez fired a shot in the 20th minute from the far-right wing. BC senior goalkeeper Jens Madsen Hordvik denied the opportunity to keep the contest scoreless.
Hordvik would be tested again by Shaw in the 42nd minute as Enrico Baldon sent a header from the left wing towards the BC keeper. Hordvik stood tall for the Bulldogs, punching the ball away to preserve the lead.
Barton took a 6-4 advantage in shots into the break along with a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.
Junior Tolly Beatson attempted to beat Shaw keeper Mynor Martinez with a shot from the top of the box in the 49th minute. Martinez kept his team in the game by stopping the opportunity from Beatson. Theo Newton would be denied by Hordvik in the 64th minute from the right wing.
With less than a minute to play in the contest, Monells found the back of the net for the second-time as he took a shot from inside the box to beat Martinez to the left side. His ninth goal of the season gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage and sealed the victory for Barton. Beatson helped to set up the play and recorded his sixth assist of the season.
"I really liked Tolly and Javi in the middle of the park tonight. Their simple, quick, and tough play allowed us to create opportunities and be in control most of the game tonight." Barton head coach Ian McMichael noted afterward. "We are also pleased with the clean sheet. Collectively we did well defensively with Seth and Tyler leading our backline although we still want to be better in certain moments. We're looking forward to a massive conference match on Saturday. These are the types of games you want to be a part of."
Monells finished the contest with four shots for Barton, while Beatson took four shots and placed three on goal for the Bulldogs. Hordvik recorded his third shutout of the season for BC after stopping all five shots that he faced.
Rodriguez and Thilo Wilke each finished the contest with two shots for Shaw, while five different Bears players tallied one shot on goal. Martinez made four saves on six shots in net for the Bears and suffered his first loss of the season.
Barton held a 19-9 advantage in shots and a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Bulldogs also recorded nine corner kicks in the contest compared to four for Shaw.
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday as they travel to North Greenville University for a Conference Carolinas match at 4 p.m.
