SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse College (3-9-2, 2-6-1 CC) soccer team dropped a crucial conference contest to Lees-McRae (4-8-2, 3-3-2 CC) by the final of 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Fulp Field.
The Vals held a hefty 18-10 advantage on shots over the Bobcats, but of those 18 shots only three were on goal. Nicole Doolittle led the Purple and Gold with six shots and the lone goal, while Anyah Preston chipped in three shots. Darian Bankston played 45 minutes in goal and allowed two goals to accrue the loss. Alexis Feely earned the win for LMC after going the distance and allowing one goal.
Lees-McRae caught a break in the fifth minute of play when a misplayed ball in the box found the foot of Kiara Montenegro and she placed the rock into the back of the net for the early 1-0 lead for the Bobcats.
Converse had many chances in the first 45 but could not put anything in the scoring column. That misfortune allowed the Bobcats to extend their lead in the 35th minute when another misplayed ball allowed Montenegro to collect her second goal of the half, unassisted.
The second half was much like the first with Converse having a plethora of shots on goal but not able to do anything as far as scoring. However, in the 67th minute a Lees-McRae player committed a handball in the box and that allowed Nicole Doolittle to step up and blast a penalty kick into the back of the net, cutting the deficit in half (2-1).
It looked as though Converse had tied the match in the 85th minute when a shot trickled into the back of the net, but an offside call negated the goal and left the game at 2-1 in favor of the Bobcats. Unfortunately, that would be the last chance the Valkyries had, dropping the contest by the final of 2-1.
After a one-week hiatus the Converse soccer team will be back in action, traveling to Bristol, Tenn. to take on King University. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.