WILSON, N.C. (Nov. 1) – In the third meeting between the sides this season, the No. 7 seeded University of Mount Olive men's soccer team fell by a 1-0 margin at No. 6 seed Barton on Wednesday night in the first round of the Conference Carolinas Championship.

With the loss, the Trojans conclude the year with a 4-8-4 overall record and are eliminated in the first round of the league tournament for a consecutive year. In three matchups this season, the Trojans posted a 1-1-1 mark against Barton. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs improve to 7-6-4 overall and advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 3 seed Young Harris on Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.

Barton forced early pressure in the opening 15-plus minutes of the postseason match after recording four shots, including one attempt on goal. In the 31st minute, junior goalkeeper Axel Engren registered a pair of saves while facing three consecutive headers to keep the contest scoreless. At the break, the game remained tied at 0-0 with Barton holding a 7-2 lead in shots.

In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to controlled possession in their offensive end and saw two shots blocked by the UMO defense. At the 54:59 mark, the Trojans nearly scored the opening goal after a free kick from senior Kevin Avila hit the left post. Just over two minutes later, Barton scored the eventual game-winning goal after a quick pass across the box found Luis Weber, who buried it into the net, 1-0. The Trojans managed to total seven shots, including three chances on goal in the final minutes, but were unable to find an equalizer in the loss.

Engren collected five saves on 16 shots faced in a full 90 minutes of action.

Barton finished with a 16-10 shot advantage in the win while also boasting a 4-0 lead in corner kicks.