FLORENCE, S.C. –
Jonas Bartelt and
Conor O'Gorman tallied goals as Lees-McRae men's soccer knocked off No. 1 Francis Marion, 2-1, on Saturday evening in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 8 Lees-McRae – 2, No. 1 Francis Marion – 1
LOCATION: Hartzler Field -- Florence, South Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (6-5-7/4-4-5); Francis Marion (8-4-5/8-1-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Francis Marion scored on the first opportunity on goal in the 23rd minute via Elian Aguilar Valencia.
- Karim Gegg had a shot on goal in the 28th minute, but Patriot goalkeeper Ian Milla made the save. FMU held the 1-0 lead after the first 45 minutes.
- Lees-McRae continued to pressure Francis Marion with shots on goal from Gegg and Conor Hart.
- The Bobcats found the back of the net in the 74th minute after Bartelt tallied the goal off an assist from O'Gorman.
- Lees-McRae took the lead a little over three minutes later after O'Gorman scored on a pass from Bartelt in the 78th minute.
- FMU had late chances with a shot on goal from Antonio Garda and an indirect kick that sailed high of the crossbar with 22 seconds remaining in the contest.
- Green made six saves in 90 minutes of action. The two sides were even throughout with FMU holding the 13-10 shots advantage and 7-5 in shots on goal advantage.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae will head to the semifinals of the 2025 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship for the first time since 2017.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram.
