Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. --- Freshman James Smith
(Eastbourne, England) scored midway through the 100th minute to
lead the sixth-seeded Lees-McRae College men's soccer team to a 3-2
extra time win over third-seeded Anderson University in the opening
round of the NCAA Division II men's soccer championship on
Wednesday afternoon.
Lees-McRae (15-5-1) avenges a 4-0 setback at the hands of
Anderson (17-4) earlier this season, advancing to the first round
of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Bobcats'
magical run to the national final in 2009. Anderson outshot the
Bobcats by a 16-8 margin on the afternoon, including a 6-2
advantage in the second half, in a physical match that featured 32
fouls and six cautions.
Smith, James Galvani (High Wycombe, England), and Ryan Gillespie
(Holly Springs, N.C.) each found the back of the net for the
Bobcats, while TC Stephens (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) and Scott Alford
(Hillsborough, N.C.) both added an assist. Thomas Rusling
(Sheffield, England) played the full match between the pipes for
the Bobcats, making five saves.
Kevin Butler and Ben Jones each tallied a goal for Anderson, as
Ryan Messick and Jones both notched an assist.
Galvani got the Bobcats off to a flying start in the 16th
minute, scoring from 15 yards out on a breakaway following a
well-placed through ball from Stephens to give the Bobcats an early
1-0 lead. Gillespie doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the 32nd
minute, slotting home the finish off a blocked free kick from 20
yards distance to send Lees-McRae into the interval with a two-goal
lead.
Anderson came out of the interval hungry, halving the margin
less than two minutes into the second half when Butler nodded home
a corner from Jones to pull the Trojans back to within one at 2-1.
Jones added the equalizer just before the 58-minute mark, heading
in a cross from Messick to even the tally at 2-2 and level
proceedings.
The match remained deadlocked through the remainder of
regulation, with Anderson controlling the run of play with a narrow
3-1 advantage in shots over the final half hour. Anderson would
outshoot the Bobcats by a 4-1 margin over the initial nine minutes
of the first extra time period, before Smith found the back of the
net with his fifth goal of the season at the 99:21 mark after
Alford flicked it on, sending Lees-McRae into the second round.
Lees-McRae returns to the pitch on Friday when the Bobcats
travel to Hartsville, S.C. to take on No. 10 and second-seeded
Flagler College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4:30
p.m. on the campus of Coker College.
- LMC -
