by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C.-The Barton College women's soccer team, under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Shaw, will make its 2013 home debut this weekend with a pair of non-conference matches against regional foes from the Peach Belt Conference, USC Aiken and Young Harris College. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. at the Barton College Athletic Complex, and Sunday's contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Barton students will be able to take advantage of a Greek-Life Tailgate before Friday's match. The tailgate will feature food and gifts for Barton students, and will begin at 5 p.m.
Barton College Women's Soccer
The Lady Bulldogs are 0-2 on the season after dropping a pair of decisions to Florida schools in the Flagler Tournament – a 5-1 loss to the host Saints and a 4-0 shutout to Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Sophomore Emily Futral has Barton's lone goal so far in 2013, scoring an unassisted marker in the 27th minute against Flagler. Sophomore Jodi Barber and freshman Kathryn Smith lead the team in shots with five each. As a team, Barton has produced 16 shots while allowing 36.
Junior keeper Carson Moore has played all 180 minutes in net for the Lady Bulldogs, averaging eight saves per contest.
A First-Team All-Conference selection in 2012, Moore is one of 16 returning letterwinners from last year's squad that posted a record of 4-11-1. Also among those returning are the top three goal scorers, Taylor Parrish, Futral and Ashley Batchelor, respectively.
Shaw joined the Barton program with a 52-34 record in five seasons as a head coach.
The Lady Bulldogs were 1-3-1 against non-conference competition last season and 2-6-1 at home.
USC Aiken Women's Soccer
The Pacers are 2-1 on the season. Like Barton, USC Aiken lost its season-opener to a Florida school, Rollins College, 4-1. The Pacers then blanked USC Beaufort, 2-0, and edged Barton's former Conference Carolinas foe Coker, 2-1, on Tuesday. Sophomore Megan Smits scored the game-winner against the Cobras in the31st minute off an assist from Aubrey Danielson.
Junior Hannah Allison, a former South Carolina Player of the Year who is playing her first season collegiately, has a team-high three goals and shares the team lead with Smits for points with six. Senior Alli Edens has played most of the minutes in goal for the Pacers, giving up two goals per game while averaging 3.3 saves per contest.
Smits and Danielson were the leading point producers for the Pacers last season. Smits had a team-high four goals and nine points, while Danielson collected three goals and seven points. Edens played 18 games in goal for USCA, with a 1.62 goals against average and a 4.9 saves per game average.
Friday's contest will be USC Aiken's first on the road this year. Last season, the Pacers were 3-6-2 on the road, 1-4-2 in non-conference games and 4-11-3 overall.
The Pacers are coached by Sue Vodicka, who has a career head coaching record of 44-107-12 in 10 seasons, the last nine of those taking place at USC Aiken.
Young Harris College Women's Soccer
The Mountain Lions are 2-1 on the season, with both wins coming at home. Young Harris defeated Shorter, 2-1, in overtime to open the year, giving head coach Kathy Brown her 250th career victory. The Mountain Lions lost on the road at Christian Brothers, 3-1, but returned home to edge Barton's fellow Conference Carolinas member, North Greenville, 2-1 on Wednesday.
Senior Candace Edwards scored both goals in the victory over North Greenville, including the game-winner off a through ball from senior Whitney Thomas in the 59th minute. Edwards also provided the game-winner against Shorter, a program with which she spent one season in 2009.
Edwards leads the team with her three goals and seven points, and Thomas has the squad's other two goals and a pair of assists. Together, they have 22 shots, more than half the team's total of 41.
Sophomore Taylor Erickson has started all three games, recording a goals against average of 1.61 while stopping an average of seven shots per contest.
Thomas is the top returner from a 2012 team that went 7-10 overall, 3-6 on the road and 5-1 in non-conference matches. Thomas ranked third on the team in goals (5) and points (13). Erickson appeared in 16 games at keeper, starting 14 and posting a 1.86 goals against average in just over 1,300 minutes of action.
A former member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Team, Edwards began her career with Young Harris in 2007 when it was a junior college. In two seasons with the Mountain Lions, Edwards scored 39 goals and added nine assists to lead the team in goals and points. She spent one season with Shorter in 2009, and has returned to Young Harris for her final season of eligibility.
Following Wednesday's win over North Greenville, head coach Kathy Brown is currently 251-62-11 in her 18th season leading the Mountain Lions.
Multimedia
Barton sports information will be providing live stats for both Friday's match and Sunday's contest.
Barton women's soccer fans can follow the Lady Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
