Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Freshman Meagan Thornton
(Millville, N.J.) tallied her second career hat trick on Saturday
evening to lead the Lees-McRae College women's soccer team to a 4-2
win over Queens University of Charlotte in Conference Carolinas
play at Tate Field.
Lees-McRae (8-2-1, 7-0 CC) outshot Queens (4-7-1, 4-2-1 CC) by a
25-12 margin, including a 9-3 advantage in the first half, as the
Bobcats also posted a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Thornton paced the Bobcats with three goals to run her season
tally to a team-high nine strikes, as Brooke Santerre (Port
Republic, Md.) added a goal for the Bobcats. Jessica O'Leary
(Millbury, Mass.), Emily Jones (Leonardtown, Md.), and Ally
Titsworth (Holmes Beach, Fla.) each tallied an assist for the
Bobcats, as freshman Kaitlyn Briggs posted six saves between the
pipes.
Kristen Wright and Hope Hartman tallied the goals for Queens,
while Sami Striano and Amanda Wright each added an assist. Kelsey
Seretis posted five saves through the first 73 minutes of play, as
Megan Hirschy added two stops while playing the final 18
minutes.
The Royals scored the breakthrough midway through the fourth
minute, as Striano's driven shot from distance struck the bar and
fell right to Hartman at the goal mouth for the easy finish. Queens
held the one-goal lead until the 35th minute, when O'Leary switched
it to Thornton on the left side of the area, putting the freshman
in perfect position to smash the finish over the keeper's head to
level proceedings at 1-1.
Thornton struck again in the 42nd minute, taking a cross from
Titsworth and slotting the finish into the bottom corner to send
the Bobcats into the interval with a 2-1 lead. Santerre doubled the
advantage to 3-1 in the 72nd minute, curling a free kick past the
keeper from 20 yards distance for her sixth goal of the season.
Thornton then completed the treble in smashing fashion early in
the 83rd minute, timing her run onto a long ball from Jones to
perfection before curling the finish past the keeper to give the
Bobcats a commanding 4-1 lead. Kristen Wright added the final goal
of the night midway through the 87th minute, heading a lead pass
from Amanda Wright into the bottom corner to equal the final margin
of 4-2.
Lees-McRae returns to the pitch on Wednesday when the Bobcats
host Belmont Abbey College in a pivotal conference matchup at 7
p.m. on Tate Field.
- LMC -
