BELMONT, N.C. –
Lexi Todd scored her first goal of the season in the second half, while
Hope Sanborn finished with five saves en route to her third career shutout, as the Lees-McRae women's soccer team posted a 1-0 victory over host Belmont Abbey to match their best conference start since the 2011 season.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 1; Belmont Abbey - 0
LOCATION: Alumni Field – Belmont, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (3-0/3-0), Belmont Abbey (1-1-1/1-1-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lees-McRae challenged the Belmont Abbey defense multiple times in the first half, tallying four shots and four corner kicks, but failed to breakthrough.
- The Bobcats had their best scoring opportunity in the 22nd minute as Pali Smith sprinted past the defender and nearly pushed a shot past the goalkeeper.
- The Crusaders had a late chance to take the lead, but a save by Sanborn held the score at 0-0 at halftime.
- The score remained level for the first 15 minutes of the second half until Todd intercepted a pass inside the 18-yard box and rocketed a shot into the bottom corner to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
- Belmont Abbey had a final chance to even the score with just over two minutes remaining, but another timely save by Sanborn gave the Bobcats the conference victory.
- Both Lees-McRae and Belmont Abbey finished with eight shots, with the Crusaders finishing with a 5-2 edge in shots-on-goal, with the Bobcats holding a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.
- Sanborn finished with five saves in net for the Bobcats.
FOR THE FOES:
- Lauryn Harding finished with one save in net for Belmont Abbey.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will return to the newly-converted Tate Field for the first time since Nov. 2, 2019, as they host Converse on Sunday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
