WILSON, N.C. - The Barton women's soccer team (10-5-3) won a 3-2 overtime thriller over Emmanuel Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Championship at the Bulldogs Athletic Complex.

Barton sophomore forward Julia Morales (Frederick, Md.) scored the golden goal 5:26 into the first overtime in the box off a corner kick from junior midfielder Macey Helmstetter (Jacksonville, N.C.), who was credited with the assist.

The goal was Morales' second on the match as Barton advanced to take on second-seeded Francis Marion (12-4-1) in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., in Florence, S.C.

Barton, the seventh seeded in the tournament, also received a goal from junior defender Aubrey Mayberry (Greenville, N.C.) and rallied from a 2-1 deficit with under five minutes to go in the second half to beat the Lions.  

Emmanuel, seeded 10th in the tournament, got two goals late in the second half courtesy of Jillian Aldrich (Weeki Wachee, Fla.) and Leah Chavez (Houston, Texas).

Barton held a 24-7 advantage in shots taken while freshman goalkeeper Olivia Terranova (Fayetteville, N.C.) earned the win after making three saves on the day.

Emmanuel's Ana Ramirez-Cortez (Bogota, COLOMBIA) suffered the loss in goal despite a pair of stops.