BANNER ELK, N.C. – Lees-McRae men's lacrosse battled the preseason favorite Belmont Abbey in their home finale this evening, but the Crusaders prevailed 16-6 in Conference Carolinas action.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Belmont Abbey – 16; Lees-McRae – 6
LOCATION: Tate Field
– Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Belmont Abbey (10-3/6-0), Lees-McRae (0-14/0-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Tyler Flannelly got the Bobcats on the board with 11:19 remaining in the first quarter to even the score at one goal, but Belmont Abbey took the 3-1 lead after back-to-back goals in under two minutes after Flannelly's goal.
- Jaxon Biba collected his first career goal as a Bobcat after making a shot from the Bobcats' defensive half with zeroes on the game clock in the first quarter.
- The Crusaders took the opening half at 7-4 as Spence Combs scored with 12:12 left in the second quarter.
- Belmont Abbey used a 9-2 second half advantage to collect the 16-6 and go 6-0 in Conference Carolinas play.
- Flannelly led the Bobcats with two goals and caused five turnovers on the evening. Ryan Bird and Ayden Kennedy added goals for Lees-McRae in the contest.
- Liam Murphy made 15 saves in the game and hauled in five ground balls in the season finale.
FOR THE CRUSADERS:
- Davis McCulley and Matthew Wyatt led the Crusaders with five goals apiece and Wyatt collected three assists also.
- Caleb Mulcahy went 21-23 from the face-off circle and picked up 17 ground balls for Belmont Abbey.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae finished the season on Thursday with Combs having a team-high 14 goals and Fraelle following with 13 on the 2023 campaign.
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