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FLORENCE, S.C. – The Lees-McRae women's soccer team, under head coach
Cally Morrill, will make their second appearance in the Conference Carolinas Championship Semifinals since 2017 when they face No. 1 North Greenville as the No. 4 seed on Friday at 11 a.m. in Florence, South Carolina.
Previewing the Bobcats…Lees-McRae enters Friday's semifinal with a 5-2-2 overall record (4-2-1 conference record), with four wins away from Banner Elk this season. Junior
Pali Smith scored three goals this season to pace the Bobcats, while junior
Rachel Crum has scored twice. Senior
Hope Sanborn is third in the conference in save percentage (.857) and is fifth in goals-against-average (.798).
How Lees-McRae earned a spot in the semifinals…The Bobcats scored in the 85th-minute to earn with a 1-1 tie in the first leg of the home-and-home series against No. 5 Belmont Abbey on April 18, before using a goal by
Hannah Davies in overtime, off an assist by
Lexi Todd, to clinch a 1-0 win over the Crusaders to advance to the semifinal round.
Previewing the Crusades…North Greenville enters with a 7-1-1 overall record (5-1-1 conference record) and riding a four-game winning streak that includes a 3-0 win over the Bobcats on April 11. Faith Knoedler garnered Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year after leading the Conference Carolinas with nine goals and 19 points during league play. Maggie Schopp is third in goals-against average (.697) while being eighth in save percentage (.783) this season.
How North Greenville earned a spot in the semifinals…The Crusaders used a pair of second-half goals to clinch a 2-0 win over No. 9 Erskine on April 18, before tallying three goals in a victory against No. 8 King on April 25. North Greenville has not given up a goal since a 3-1 win over Southern Wesleyan on April 7.
What's next…The winner of Friday's semifinal will face the winner of #2 Chowan vs. No. 3 Mount Olive on Sunday, May 2 at 1 p.m in the Conference Carolinas Championship.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
