BANNER ELK, N.C. –
Harrison Watts and
Daniel Garvilla scored second-half goals, while
Joshua Garvilla finished with a game-high six saves, to lift the Lees-McRae men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over visiting Belmont Abbey to end the recent two-game losing streak and clinch a win over the Crusaders for the first time since 2017.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 2; Belmont Abbey – 1
LOCATION: Tate Field – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (6-4-1/4-2-0), Belmont Abbey (3-8-1/2-5-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both Lees-McRae and Belmont Abbey tallied seven shots in the first half, including a pair of scoring chances for the Crusaders and scoring chances for Garvilla and Watts, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
- The Bobcats finally broke through in the 60th minute as Watts received a pass from Fletcher Dyson and scored his third goal of the season to give Lees-McRae a 1-0 lead.
- Belmont Abbey evened the score just over six minutes later on a long throw-in.
- After Lees-McRae had multiple scoring chances miss in the next 14 minutes, the Bobcats scored the eventual game-winning goal as Garvilla scored his third goal of the season off a through pass by Johannes Oeksnevad. Ethan Shelley also received an assist on the play.
- The Crusaders had one final chance to even the score but a shot over the top of the frame gave the Bobcats the 2-1 win.
- Lees-McRae held a slim 15-7 edge in shots and a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.
FOR THE FOES:
- Hallvard Boehn scored for the Crusaders off assists by Kensly Owens and Tyler Stopford.
- Ben Knust finished with five saves in net for Belmont Abbey.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will visit Mount Olive on Saturday for a Conference Carolinas showdown starting at 1 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
