Lee Squires recorded a goal and an assist, and Thomas Rusling made six saves to lead the Lees-McRae College (LMC) men's soccer team to a 2-0 shutout over Coker College in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship on Sunday at Tate Field.
LMC (13-4-3) outshot the Cobras (7-7-5) by a 16-11 margin, including an 8-6 advantage in the second half en route to its third Conference Carolinas Tournament title in the last four years. Squires paced the Bobcats with his league-leading 14th goal of the season, while also adding a late assist. James Galvani chipped in his 10th goal of the campaign for LMC, while Rusling notched his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Squires opened the scoring early in the 34th minute, taking advantage of a foul by Coker just outside the area and bending the set piece into the back of net for 22 yards distance to give LMC a 1-0 lead. Galvani doubled the advantage in the 51st minute, delivering a strong header past the keeper after Squires sent a brilliant cross to the back post from the right flank.
Rusling made several outstanding saves to earn Tournament MVP honors, as fellow Bobcats David Palmer, Luke Duffy, Justin Jones and Squires each earned a spot on the all-Tournament Team.
Erskine's Matt Sluga and Pfeiffer's Alex Moreno each earned a spot on the all-Tournament team as well, while Mark Mergena, Rommel Fondin, and James Sweeney from Coker also received all-Tournament honors.
LMC awaited word on a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. The field of 30 teams was announced Monday, November 8.
Women’s Soccer: Crusaders Outlast Lady Bobcats in Conference Carolinas Tournament
The top-seeded Belmont Abbey College women’s soccer team fought off countless rallies by fourth-seeded LMC en route to a hard-earned 3-2 victory on Thursday, while clinching a spot in the 2010 Conference Carolinas Tournament Final for the sixth straight season.
LMC (14-6) outshot the Abbey (17-1-2) by a 15-12 margin, including a 7-5 advantage in the second half. The contest featured five different goal scorers, as Conference Carolinas Second Team selection Vickie Rich posted a match-high three points with a goal and an assist.
Nicole Voets, Connie Axiotis, and Rebecca Mateo each scored for the Crusaders, while Rich and MaryBeth Sullivan found the back of the net for the Lady Bobcats. Kristin Foster tallied an assist for the Abbey, while Rich and Katy McGee each notched a helper for LMC.
Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Anna Donaldson recorded nine saves for Belmont Abbey, while Brittany Bolton posted a pair of stops for the Lady Bobcats.
Voets opened the scoring midway through the 13th minute, knocking in a free header off a corner kick from Foster to give the Abbey an early 1-0 lead. Rich leveled the score at 1-1 less than two minutes later, tapping a finish past the Abbey keeper off a set piece from McGee for her 11th goal of the season.
Axiotis reclaimed the lead for Abbey midway through the 28th minute, sending a masterful strike into the far top corner from just inside the area to send the Crusaders into the interval with a 2-1 lead. Sullivan nearly pulled the Lady Bobcats back on terms in the 37th minute, forcing Donaldson to make a magnificent save on a volley from just outside the area to preserve the lead.
LMC answered early in the second half, evening the score at 2-2 midway through the 49th minute on Sullivan’s 14th goal of the season. The all-Conference Carolinas First Team selection showed great touch on the finish, redirecting a curling cross from Rich into the bottom corner for the equalizer.
Mateo provided the eventual winner early in the 52nd minute, taking advantage of a misplayed ball by the LMC defense and tucking the finish into the bottom corner to give the Abbey a 3-2 lead. LMC’s Katelyn Custer narrowly missed a glorious equalizing bid in the 80th minute, sending a brilliant curling strike just over the bar from the top of the area.
LMC ends its season with a 14-6 overall record and an 8-2 mark in league play, while also posting the program’s first top-four finish in the conference standings since 2003. The Lady Bobcats are expected to return 16 letter-winners from this season’s squad, including all-conference first team selections Sullivan, Brooke Santerre, Mary Dorn.
Women’s Volleyball: Lady Bobcats Post Second Undefeated League Mark in Conference History by Sweeping Barton
The LMC women's volleyball team defeated Barton College in straight sets on Saturday to complete the second undefeated season in Conference Carolinas history, sweeping the Bulldogs by scores of 25-13, 26-24, and 25-17 to close out the league campaign with a perfect 18-0 mark.
LMC (22-7, 18-0 CC) posted a .263 hitting percentage, seven service aces, and five blocks, while holding Barton (14-13, 10-7 CC) to a .071 clip on the attack. With the win, the Lady Bobcats also extend their league-record winning streak against conference opponents to 31 matches.
Megan Epperson tallied match-high totals of 11 kills and three service aces to pace the Lady Bobcats, while moving within 11 kills of the 1,000-kill plateau for her career. Dana Oliver and Megan Mitchell posted match-highs of 29 digs and 35 assists, respectively, while Taylor Stice and Lauren Fox each recorded a trio of blocks. Whitney Justice also tallied 10 kills and a .364 hitting percentage for the Lady Bobcats.
Kati Wood and Meagan Parrott paced the Bulldogs with seven kills each, while Carly Love turned in team-highs of 15 assists and nine digs. Melissa Ritter and Kristen Peschock chipped in eight digs each, while Chancey Sebranek posted a team-high three blocks.
LMC started strong, opening the first set with an 8-1 run before extending the margin to 16-6 with a service ace by Fox on the heels of an 8-3 run. The Lady Bobcats then closed out the set with a 9-7 edge down the stretch to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Barton responded early in the second stanza, opening an early 3-2 lead before the Lady Bobcats rallied, launching a 14-7 run to take a 16-10 advantage on a kill by Oliver. The Bulldogs answered with an 11-3 surge of its own, taking a 21-19 lead on a kill by Ritter. LMC responded again, fighting back to take a 24-23 lead on a kill by Taylor Clendenin before claiming a 2-0 advantage in the match by virtue of two Barton miscues.
The Bulldogs answered again in the third set, opening the frame with an 8-6 spurt before Lees-McRae reclaimed the momentum with a 9-0 surge to take a 15-9 lead after three straight service aces from Epperson. Barton battled back to cut the margin to 18-15 with a 6-3 spurt before the Lady Bobcats closed out the set and the match with a 7-2 run.
LMC returned to the court on Tuesday, November 9, when the top-seeded and regular season champion Lady Bobcats hosted eighth-seeded Mount Olive College in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament.
