MOUNT OLIVE (Sept. 16) – In the opening match of Conference Carolinas play, the Trojans battled to a 1-1 draw versus rival Barton on Saturday evening at Amon Field.

With the tie, the University of Mount Olive women's soccer moves to 0-1-3 and has now registered three-straight draws, all in the month of September. It marks the first tie in the rivalry series since 2016 after UMO had previously won the last four meetings. Meanwhile, Barton holds a 0-1-2 record with a 0-0-1 mark in league play.

The Trojans pressured the net in the opening minutes, as graduate student Samantha Hamrick nearly scored in the seventh minute before the Bulldog goalkeeper tipped the ball over the crossbar. Mount Olive tallied two more shots on goal over the next 10-plus minutes before junior Tianna Hill hit the right woodwork at the 28:04 mark. The Trojans laced one more shot in the closing minutes of the first half, as both sides went into the break scoreless, 0-0.

The intensity picked up early in the second half with each side having a player issued a yellow card. Mount Olive tallied five shots over the initial 10 minutes, including a pair on goal. At the 58:54 mark, the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty kick and scored the opening goal off the foot of Kassie Krul to take a 1-0 lead. Following two corner kicks by UMO, the Trojans received a penalty kick in the 75th minute and Hill tied the game at 1-1 with her second goal of the season. Both sides compiled shots in the final minutes of the contest, as the conference opener ended in a draw, 1-1.

Graduate student Nicole Solicito played all 90 minutes in her third start of the year and collected two saves.

Mount Olive held a massive 22-7 shot advantage, including a 9-3 edge in shots on goal, while also holding an 11-4 lead in corner kicks.

The Trojans return to Amon Field on Tuesday, Sept 19, to face Francis Marion in league action with kickoff set for 4 p.m.