YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Connor Leies scored five goals to lead the Young Harris College men's lacrosse team to a 19-11 victory over Emmanuel (Ga.) College Wednesday (April 6) afternoon at the YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field.
 
The Mountain Lions won their program-tying ninth match of the year as they improved to 9-4 while the Lions fell to 1-12. Young Harris returns to action Saturday (April 9) when they travel to Huntsville, Alabama, for a 4 p.m. Central time match against the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
 
Emmanuel wasted little time - three seconds - as Austin Brundage took the opening face-off and scored the game's first goal; however, the Mountain Lions regrouped and scored the next five goals – three from Leies, who leads the team with 36 scores – over the next five minutes to open up a 5-1 lead.
 
After an Emmanuel goal, the Mountain Lions scored seven of the next nine goals to open up a 12-5 lead. Leies and Jayden Campbell each scored twice for Young Harris during the run.
 
Campbell and Matt Spadafora each scored three goals in the match for YHC, which outshot Emmanuel while Garrett Blake and Zach Stephenson added two each. Mitch McDole, Michael Gernatt, Chandler Bradley and Mason McBroom also found the back of the net once.
 
Young Harris held a 44-18 advantage in ground balls. Stephenson led the Mountain Lions with eight ground balls while Zac Barrett scooped up five. Six players – E.J. de la Torre, Leies, Kyle Beverly, Matty Ledon, Ryan Pickowitz, Gernatt and Blake – collected three apiece.
 
The Mountain Lions won 21 face-offs against the Lions, with Stephenson winning 12 and Barrett claiming the other nine.
 
Three Young Harris goalies picked up 17 saves, led by Pickowitz, who had 10. Mason King recorded four saves while Sean Dever had three more.