FLORENCE, SC – A Francis Marion University side that included six freshmen in the starting line-up put a game effort, but Lees-McRae College scored a goal midway through each half to claim a 2-0 Conference Carolinas win, Saturday afternoon (Oct. 9) in women's soccer action.
 
Francis Marion (2-9-0, 2-4-0) will host conference-leading and local rival UNC Pembroke in the latest episode of the Battle for I-95 on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on Hartzler Field.
 
Francis Marion and Lees-McRae each registered 13 shots, while the Bobcats held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
FMU junior goalkeeper Makayla Willets recorded six saves, while Bobcat sophomore Mallory Roughton tallied four saves.
 
Willets made a sprawling save on a strong header by Gwen O'Brien in the ninth minute to keep the contest scoreless.  Less than a minute later, Lees-McRae's Alexa Todd chipped a shot over a hard-charging Willets, but senior defender Anna Capra was there to clear the ball over the end line before it entered the net.  Willets would post another stop in the 27th minute.
 
The Bobcats scored on a 13-yard shot by Taylor Barrineau at the 30:32 mark.  Just two minutes later, FMU graduate student Dayle McEwen nearly came up with an equalizing score, but her header off a cross from senior Faith Allen sailed over the crossbar.
 
McEwen again looked to even things up, but her strong shot from the top of the penalty area was corralled by Roughton in the 36th minute. A header by McEwen off a long throw-in by Allen forced Roughton to again come up with a stop with 2:19 remaining in the half.
 
Only 4:42 into the second stanza, McEwen nodded a header toward goal that glanced off the crossbar.  The Collinsville, Ill., native led Francis Marion with seven shots.
 
The margin doubled in the 74th minute when Ivy Cagno took a short pass in the penalty area following a corner kick and poked in a 4-yard attempt.

 
 
Lees-McRae College (8-2-0, 5-1-0) def. Francis Marion Univ. (2-9-0, 2-4-0) 2-0
Date: 10/09/21      Attendance: 75
Weather: Overcast, 78 degrees
 
Goals by period            1  2  Tot
-----------------------------------------------
Lees-McRae College..  1  1 -  2
Francis Marion Univ.     0  0 -  0
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-0.  30:32 LMC Barrineau, Taylor (2) (Smith, Pali) - Through ball, slotted past on-coming GK from 13 yards out
2-0.  73:09 LMC Cagno, Ivy (2) (O'Brien, Gwen;Porsche, Gen) - Corner kick, headed down by 13, 28 turn and shoot from 4 yards out
 
Shots: Lees-McRae 13, Francis Marion 13 ; Saves: Lees-McRae 4 (Mallory Roughton 4), Francis Marion 7 (Makayla Willets 6; TEAM 1)