Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- David Palmer (Gateshead,
U.K.) and James Galvani (High Wycombe, U.K.) each found the back of
the net to lead the Lees-McRae College men's soccer team to a 2-0
shutout win over Southeast Region foe Carson-Newman College on
Wednesday night at Tate Field.
Lees-McRae (5-2) outshot the Eagles (3-2-1) by a 16-8 margin,
holding an 8-4 advantage in attempts on goal in each half in a hard
fought battle of a match. Palmer and Galvani each tallied their
third goal of the season, while Thomas Rusling made a pair of saves
to pace the Bobcats to victory.
The match remained scoreless through the first half and a
generous portion of the second period, with perhaps the best
scoring chance of the first three-quarters of the match coming late
in the 68th minute when Carson-Newman's Robert Hill (Middlesbrough,
U.K.) rung a shot off the bar from close range.
Lees-McRae broke the deadlock late in the 70th minute Jamie
Bladen (Yorkshire, U.K.) played a wonderful through ball into a
streaking Palmer, putting the junior midfielder in perfect position
for the finish to give Lees-McRae a 1-0 lead. Galvani provided an
insurance goal early in the 84th minute, taking a through ball from
Luke Perry (Cheshire, U.K.) and delivering a purely driven strike
into the bottom corner to put the Bobcats up 2-0 with little time
remaining.
Carson-Newman made a late charge in the final five minutes,
creating several scoring chances, as Rusling was forced to make a
brilliant save off a header from Adam Thomas (Morristown, Tenn.)
late in the 88th minute to preserve his first clean sheet of the
season.
Lees-McRae returns to the pitch on Saturday when the Bobcats
travel to Wilson, N.C. for a 7 p.m. matchup with Barton College to
resume their Conference Carolinas schedule.
- LMC -
