EVANS, Ga. | Alex Wyper scored twice and assisted on another and Mikie Rowe added two goals of his own as the Young Harris College men's soccer team scored four second-half goals as the Mountain Lions recorded a 5-1 victory over Francis Marion University in the semifinals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Friday (Nov. 6) evening at Blanchard Woods Park.
 
The top-seeded Mountain Lions improved to 15-3-0 while the No. 4 Patriots conclude their 2015 campaign at 11-5-2. Young Harris will face No. 3 seed Lander University, which is ranked No. 12 nationally, in Sunday's (Nov. 8) 3:30 p.m. championship match. The Mountain Lions will be looking to avenge its lone PBC loss of the season as they try to win back-to-back titles.
 
Francis Marion registered five shots in the opening 15 minutes.  The best scoring opportunity came in the 14th minute when Gael Mabiala's header off a Sven Ricke corner kick was cleared off the goal line by a Mountain Lion defender.
 
Patriot midfielder Thomas Kues was given a red card for a hard tackle just inside the Mountain Lions' half with 16:18 remaining in the opening half.  Eight minutes later, Young Harris took a 1-0 lead when Tom Joslin slid a through ball to Rowe for 7-yard shot.
                      
The Patriot rallied to knot the score at 1 only 1:37 into the second half.  Junior defender Peter Beniseau headed Ricke's free kick toward goal but Young Harris goalkeeper Jordan Bradshaw came up with the save.  However, the ball rebounded to Jevon Williams who tallied his second goal of the season.
  
Young Harris regained the lead at 2-1 in the 54th minute on a penalty kick by Wyper.  The Mountain Lions were awarded a second penalty kick at the 60:03 mark and this time FMU goalkeeper Jonathan Mannes stopped Wypers' kick, but Wyper managed to convert the rebound into a 3-1 advantage. It was Wyper's third goal of the season.
 
Less than three minutes later, Lewis Hilton, who is only the 10th player in the PBC to be named to the all-conference team four times, added a strike from 16 yards out off a Wyper assist. Rowe closed the out the scoring off a Hilton pass at the 69:05 mark. It was the freshman's sixth strike of 2015.
  
Young Harris outshot Francis Marion 25-10 and led 9-5 in corner kicks. Mannes finished with four saves, while Bradshaw recorded three stops.