YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Niall McCabe scored twice as Young Harris College upset Lander University 2-0 in a Peach Belt Conference men's soccer match Wednesday (Oct. 20) afternoon on Senior Day at the Frances Wood Wilson Soccer Field.
The Mountain Lions won their third consecutive match as they improved to 12-2-1 overall and to 4-1-1 in the Peach Belt while Lander, which is ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll and ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region poll, fell to 10-2-1 and 5-1-1.
Young Harris hits the road for their final three regular season matches of the year. The Mountain Lions open the road trip Saturday (Oct. 20) with a 3 p.m. league tilt against the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in Pembroke, N.C.
McCabe, who leads the league with 14 goals and 37 points, gave the Mountain Lions the 1-0 lead at the 32:24 mark. After a Lander turnover in the backfield, Ilija Ilic, who is tied for third in the Peach Belt with eight assists, gave it McCabe in the left corner and he converted.
McCabe provided the insurance goal for the Mountain Lions, who outshot the Senators 18-10, at the 72:00 mark when Khurram Shazad crossed the ball to McCabe, who beat the goalkeeper and knocked the ball into the right corner of the goal.
Senior Wezly Barnard registered his first shutout of the season as he recorded four saves for Young Harris, which is 3-2-0 against nationally ranked teams this season. Lander's Barrett Nielsen had five saves.
In addition to Barnard, fellow seniors James Thorpe, Ashley Walker, Andreas Pechmann, Mouhamed Bechir, Alex Rivera and Tom Crosby were honored in pre-match ceremonies.
