Mount Olive men, women visit archrival Barton

Published in Sports on October 28, 2005 2:10 PM

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Men's soccer

The Mount Olive College men's soccer team has had a roller coaster season. On Saturday, the Trojans try to end the regular season on a winning note heading into next week's conference tournament.

Mount Olive heads up U.S. 117 Saturday as the Trojans travel to Wilson to take on Barton in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference men's soccer. Match time is 3 p.m.

Mount Olive (11-4-2 overall, 6-2-1 CVAC) is playing for the first time since last Saturday's wild 1-1 tie against Lees-McRae. Two-time CVAC Player of the Week Reid Clewis' goal with 51 seconds left broke a scoreless tie, but the Trojans had to settle for a tie when Lees-McRae evened the match with 29 seconds remaining.

Clewis remains among the conference leader in goals and points, while Adam Caston ranks in the top 10 in the CVAC in assists. As a team, Mount Olive leads the conference in goals per game and is second in the conference in team defense.

This season has been a season of streaks for the Trojans. Mount Olive opened the season with an 8-0-1 mark, earning a No. 1 regional ranking and a No. 7 national ranking. The Trojans then suffered a three-match losing streak, but are 3-1-1 in their last five matches. Mount Olive is ranked No. 6 in this week's Southeast Region ranking.

Mount Olive is assured of hosting a first-round match in the CVAC Tournament Wednesday at 2 p.m. The Trojans enter Saturday's play tied with Anderson in third place and a half-game behind second place Belmont Abbey in the conference standings. Mount Olive's two conference losses were against Anderson and Belmont Abbey.

Barton (4-13-0, 3-6-0) is coming off a 4-1 non-conference loss Tuesday against North Carolina Wesleyan. The Bulldogs need a win and an Erskine loss or tie, or a tie and an Erskine loss to gain the eighth and final spot in the CVAC Tournament.

Mount Olive can finish as high as second in the conference standings, but only if both Anderson and Belmont Abbey lose Saturday.

Notes: Mount Olive's first-round opponent in the CVAC Tournament will be either Lees-McRae, Pfeiffer or St. Andrews...Queens has clinched its fourth consecutive regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament...Mount Olive defeated Barton twice last year, 7-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the CVAC Tournament.

Women's soccer

With one regular season match remaining, the Mount Olive College women's soccer team is assured of hosting a first-round match in next week's conference tournament. Where the Trojans will be seeded - pick a number, any number.

Mount Olive concludes regular season play Saturday as the Trojans head up the road to Wilson to take on Barton in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's soccer. Match time is 1 p.m.

Mount Olive (12-7-0 overall, 8-2-0 CVAC) is coming off a hard-fought 2-1 overtime loss Tuesday at nationally eighth-ranked Catawba. Lyndsay Brennan scored the tying goal early in the second half, but Catawba notched the game-winner in the 97th minute.

The goal was the 11th of the season for Brennan, a freshman from Springfield, Va. She's second on the team behind conference goal-scoring leader Gina Dos Santos, who has 19 goals. Dos Santos is one goal away from becoming the first player in Mount Olive soccer history - women or men - to score at least 20 goals in consecutive seasons.

While Dos Santos continues to rank among the top 20 in Division II in goals per game, midfielder April Jacobs leaped into the national top 10 in assists per game. Jacobs, who has 12 assists this season, is tied for seventh in the nation in assists per game.

The Trojans enter Saturday's match in a third place tie with Barton (12-4-0, 8-2-0), one game behind co-leaders Belmont Abbey and Pfeiffer. Barton is coming off a 1-0 non-conference loss Wednesday against Lenoir-Rhyne.

Mathematically, Mount Olive could be seeded anywhere from Nos. 1-4. While a loss Saturday would give the Trojans the No. 4 seed, a win could give the Trojans the top seed, if both Belmont Abbey and Pfeiffer lose Saturday, depending on the final scores of Saturday's matches.

Mount Olive could get the No. 2 seed with a win and a Pfeiffer loss to Erskine. The Trojans would receive the No. 3 seed with a win if both Belmont Abbey and Pfeiffer win or tie. A tie between Mount Olive and Barton also gives the Trojans the No. 3 seed.

Notes: Mount Olive defeated Barton 3-1 last year, the Trojans' first-ever women's soccer win over Barton...The Trojans are 8-3-0 in their last 11 matches overall and 6-1-0 in their last seven conference matches...Barton, currently ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region, was tied at No. 1 in the region and ranked No. 10 in the nation earlier this month...Mount Olive's CVAC Tournament first-round match takes place Tuesday at 2 p.m...The Trojans will likely play Erskine or Limestone in the first round, but could face Queens or Coker.

Women's volleyball

When Mount Olive College head volleyball coach Sasha Gutor told his team they would have a "three-day weekend," the players probably didn't imagine that meant three matches in three days.

Mount Olive begins a three-day road trip tonight as the Trojans head to Charlotte, N.C., to take on Queens in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference volleyball. Match time is 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Mount Olive travels down Interstate 85 to Gaffney, S.C., for a 1 p.m. conference match-up at Limestone. The Trojans head back up I-85 and conclude their road trip Sunday at Belmont Abbey in another CVAC contest. Match time is 2 p.m. at Belmont, N.C.

Mount Olive (21-6 overall, 14-1 CVAC) enters this weekend on a six-match winning streak after Wednesday's 3-0 win at home against Coker Wednesday. The win came just 24 hours after the Trojans won 3-0 at Barton.

Including this weekend, Mount Olive has five matches in a span of six days.

Two Trojan seniors - outside hitter Heidi Busch and setter Sara Christie - have a chance to move up in the NCAA career statistical rankings this weekend. Busch ranks ninth on the NCAA II all-time kills list with 2,311 career kills and is 38 kills away from moving up to No. 8. Christie ranks No. 24 all-time with 5,577 career assists, but is only 27 assists away from jumping into the top 20.

Sophomore outside hitter Sam Mitchell, who was named CVAC Volleyball Player of the Week earlier this week, has reached double figures in kills in eight of her last 10 matches. She also has five double-doubles (kills and digs) during that stretch.

Mount Olive posted 3-0 wins over all three teams at Kornegay Arena. Queens (0-25, 0-18) is coming off a 3-1 loss at Pfeiffer Tuesday. Limestone (14-14, 7-10) fell 3-1 Wednesday at North Greenville in a non-conference match-up. Belmont Abbey (11-8, 9-7) fell 3-0 Tuesday at conference leader Lees-McRae.

Mount Olive, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA II Atlantic Region, enters this weekend in second place in the conference standings, a half-game behind Lees-McRae.

Come Monday, the Trojans could find themselves in the conference lead if they can win all three matches this weekend.

Women's basketball

Mount Olive received one first-place vote and tied for sixth in the 2005-06 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, it was announced this week. The Trojans received 56 points, tying with St. Andrews and finishing four points behind fifth-place Lees-McRae.

Mount Olive posted a 12-16 record in 2004-05 and tied for sixth in the CVAC standings with a 9-11 mark. The Trojans were the last remaining unbeaten team in conference play last season and were ranked as high as No. 7 in the NCAA II East Region rankings.

Anderson picked up the remaining 10 first-place votes and garnered 100 points, topping the pre-season poll for the second straight year. Belmont Abbey was second with 84 points, while Barton was third with 80 points.

Mount Olive tips off its 2005-06 season November 18-19 as the Trojans compete in the USC-Aiken Tournament. Mount Olive takes on Converse on the first day, and faces tournament host USC-Aiken on day two.

The Trojans play their home opener November 22 as they host Virginia State, and begin CVAC play November 29 at Queens.

Mount Olive will also be the site of the 2006 CVAC Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals and championship game, which takes place March 3-4 at Kornegay Arena.