Katie Batson broke a scoreless tie in the 34th minute and University of Mount Olive added three goals in a 10-minute span late in the second half as the Trojans defeated Southern Wesleyan 4-0 in Conference Carolinas women's soccer Saturday at Central, S.C. Trojan goalkeeper Gigi Ramirez recorded her third shutout and the team's fifth shutout this season.
Saturday's contest was Mount Olive's regular season finale. The Trojans had already clinched a spot in the conference tournament, which begins Tuesday.
Mount Olive (6-11-1 overall, 4-6-1 Conference Carolinas) gave Ramirez and the Trojan defense all of the offense they would need when Nicole Poppe served a corner kick to Batson, who gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead at the 33:08 mark. The goal was Batson's second this season.
The lead stayed at a single goal until Mount Olive began its flurry in the 71st minute. Jess Hickey captured a loose ball and briefly moved into a tie Poppe for the team lead with her sixth goal of the season. Poppe regained sole possession of the team lead four minutes later with her seventh goal of the season. Hannah Kirk finished the scoring at 80:36 with her first collegiate goal, capturing the ball after her first shot attempt was blocked.
Mount Olive outshot Southern Wesleyan (2-13-0, 1-10-0) by a 23-4 margin. Ramirez finished with three saves, while SWU goalkeeper Krista Anonie recorded eight saves.
Mount Olive travels to Spartanburg, S.C., Tuesday as the eighth-seeded Trojans take on top-seeded Converse in a quarterfinal-round match in the 2014 Conference Carolinas Women's Soccer Tournament. The Trojans fell to Converse 3-2 during the regular season. Match time is 6 p.m.