Box score
NEWLAND, N.C. --- Freshman goalkeeper Thomas
Rusling (Sheffield, England) made a pair of tremendous saves in a
penalty kick shootout Saturday after the Bobcats played to a
scoreless draw with fifth-seeded Pfeiffer University at MacDonald
Stadium on the campus of Avery County High School.
Lees-McRae (12-4-3) outshot the Falcons (4-7-6) by a 31-3 margin
on the day, including a 14-0 advantage in the second half as
Pfeiffer was forced to play with 10 men for the final 55 minutes of
the match. Lee Squires (Sheffield, England) paced the Bobcats with
seven shots, while James Galvani (High Wycombe, England) and David
Palmer (Gateshead, England) chipped in six and five attempts,
respectively.
Both sides have multiple scoring chances throughout the initial
90 minutes, as Pfeiffer's Alex Moreno (Huntersville, N.C.) recorded
10 saves to keep the Falcons in the match. Rusling made a pair of
stops for the Bobcats.
Neither team could find the back of the net through 90 minutes
of regulation, as well as each period of extra time, to send the
match into a penalty kick shootout. Sam Kennedy (The East End,
London, England) and Palmer both converted their attempts to open
the shootout, while Pfeiffer's Alex Landim (Brockton, Mass.) and
Boo Tesh (Kannapolis, N.C.) found the back of the net in the second
and third rounds to send the shootout into the fourth round even at
2-2.
Jamie Bladen (Yorkshire, England) delivered what turned out to
be the deciding strike in the fourth round, burying his attempt in
the back of the net to put the Bobcats up 3-2. Rusling stepped in
and made two of the biggest saves of his young career, stopping the
Falcons' fourth and fifth attempts to propel the Bobcats into the
final.
Lees-McRae returns to the pitch on Sunday when the Bobcats host
sixth-seeded Coker College in the Conference Carolinas Tournament
Final. The match is slated to kick off at 1 p.m. at Tate Field.
- LMC -
