YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – In the first round of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship, Lees-McRae men's soccer battled Young Harris on Thursday evening in Georgia.
Laurin Boettcher and
Conor Hart recorded goals for the Bobcats, but Lees-McRae fell, 3-2, in heartbreaking fashion.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #8 Lees-McRae – 2; #5 Young Harris– 3
LOCATION: YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field -- Young Harris, Georgia
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (4-5-7/4-3-5), Young Harris (10-2-4/8-1-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Jonathan Kienle made the first save of the night off a shot from Thomas Kleinpenning and followed with another save in the 21st minute.
- Young Harris got on the board in the 28th minute off a goal from Filip Zander. The Mountain Lions added to their lead with a goal from Charlie Wilde in the 40th minute.
- The Bobcats showed resilience in the second half with Jesper Jonsson collecting a shot in the first 15 seconds of the second half. Nils Schulze added a shot on target in the 58th minute, but Stathis Paplomatas made the stop.
- Lees-McRae earned a corner kick in the 69th minute and Boettcher converted off an assist from Fletcher Dyson.
- Hart knotted the contest at 2-2 with a rocket in the 83rd minute and the Bobcats found momentum late in the match.
- Young Harris tallied its third goal of the night after Kleinpenning found the back of the net in the 88th minute.
- The Mountain Lions had 17 shots to the Bobcats' 11 and 9-5 in shots on target on the evening.
- Kienle made six stops on the night in goal for Lees-McRae and five different Bobcats had one shot on goal in the contest.
FOR THE MOUNTAIN LIONS:
- Young Harris will host Belmont Abbey on Sunday in Georgia in the quarterfinals round of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae concludes its 2024 season with a record of 4-5-7 and 4-3-5 in Conference Carolinas play. Lees-McRae would like to thank
Fletcher Dyson,
Jesper Jonsson,
Thomas McComb,
Gray Smith,
Erick Uvalle, and
Harrison Watts for their commitment to the Bobcat men's soccer program as seniors.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
