BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The top-seeded Lees-McRae
College men's soccer team, fresh off clinching its fourth straight
Conference Carolinas regular season title, is set to square off
against eighth-seeded Queens University of Charlotte in a
quarterfinal matchup tonight at Tate Field. The Bobcats defeated
the Royals by a 3-0 score in their first matchup of the season on
Oct. 9
Lees-McRae (11-4-2, 7-1-1 CC) needed a win on Saturday against
Coker to secure the top seed and accomplished the mission in clutch
fashion, coming from behind to defeat the Cobras by a 2-1 score
with a pair of masterful goals from David Palmer (Gateshead, U.K.)
and Lee Squires (Sheffield, U.K.). After Palmer evened the match
for the Bobcats late in the first half, Squires knocked in the
go-ahead goal in the early moments of the second period, delivering
a majestic finish into the top corner for his 13th goal of the
campaign.
Queens (4-11-1) fell to Barton in an extra time heartbreaker on
Saturday, coming up short against the Bulldogs by a 2-1 score to
slip into the eighth seed in the conference tournament. Justin
Ferguson (Denver, Colo.) leads the way for the Royals with six
goals and 14 points, as the senior midfielder has also dished out a
pair of assists thus far. Bryan White (Albany, N.Y.) and Gersi
Cilingiri (Jacksonville, Fla.) have tallied four and three goals,
respectively, for the Royals this season, while Jeremy Chambers
(Princeton, W. Va.) has dished out a team-high three assists.
Luke Perry (Cheshire, U.K.) and Justin Jones (Jamestown, N.C.)
lead the way for the Bobcat playmakers, having dished out nine and
seven assists, respectively, this season. Squires has been LMC's
primary goal-scorer, putting away 13 goals, including a trio of
match-winners to pace the Bobcats. Also having fine goal scoring
seasons for Lees-McRae are James Galvani (High Wycombe, U.K.) and
Palmer, as the duo have tallied eight and seven goals,
respectively, for the Bobcats.
Tonight's match promises to be an entertaining one, with some of
the top players in the conference squaring off on the pitch at Tate
Field. The winner will face Pfeiffer University on Friday, after
the Falcons advanced past Belmont Abbey College this afternoon in a
penalty kick shootout.
The Lees-McRae Sports Information office will provide a live
statistics feed, as well as a streaming webcast of the match, which
kicks off at 7 p.m. Both can be accessed on
www.lmcbobcats.com, the official web site of Lees-McRae
College Athletics. Simply log on and click on the "Live Events"
link at the top of the page.
- LMC -
