YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The final of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Men’s Lacrosse Championship is set with fourth seed Barton College and second seed Lees-McRae College.
No. 4 Barton def. No. 1 Belmont Abbey, 13-12
Barton got off to a hot start, scoring the first four goals in the opening period and led 4-0 after the first 15 minutes. Belmont Abbey fought back, outscoring Barton 4-3 in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs still led 7-4.
The Crusader comeback continued in the third quarter as they evened the score at 9-9 after outscoring Barton 5-2. However, Barton tallied the first goals of the fourth period, opening up a 13-9 lead. As they did all day, the Crusaders fought back and pulled within 13-12 with a goal with 1:15 remaining. That was Belmont Abbey would score as Barton took the contest 13-12.
Nick Nelson and Gabe Thompson led Barton with four goal apiece with Thompson handing out one assist. Belmont Abbey was led by five goals from Brendan Boschi.
No. 2 Lees-McRae def. No. 3 North Greenville, 16-12
Lees-McRae scored the first goal of the contest, but North Greenville responded with four straight tallies to take a 4-1 lead. The Trailblazers scored the first two goals of the second period, but Lees-McRae responded with three straight goals to pull within 6-4 at the half.
Out of the break, Lees-McRae scored three straight goals to take the lead before North Greenville netted the equalizer. However, the Bobcats responded the four straight goals before North Greenville scored the final goal of the quarter as the Bobcats led 11-8 going into the fourth quarter.
Following a Trailblazer goal, Lees-McRae scored four straight goals to take a 15-9 lead with nine minutes remaining. However, North Greenville cut the deficit in half with three straight goals as Lees-McRae led 15-12 with two minutes remaining. However, Lees-McRae added a goal with one minute remaining to take the contest 16-12.
Cole Morris led Lees-McRae with eight goals and one assist while Cayden Onagi added three goals. For North Greenville, Steven Huls, Jr. led the way with three goals.
The championship match between Barton and Lees-McRae is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in Young Harris, Georgia. Barton is going for their second title with the other coming in 2023 while a title for Lees-McRae would be the first for the Bobcats.
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2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Lacrosse Championship
Tuesday, April 21 - Quarterfinals (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 4 Barton def. No. 5 Mount Olive, 16-12
BOX SCORE
No. 3 North Greenville def. No. 6 Young Harris, 23-11
BOX SCORE
Friday, April 24 - Semifinals (YHC Lacrosse Field – Young Harris, Ga.)
No. 4 Barton def. No. 1 Belmont Abbey, 13-12
BOX SCORE
No. 2 Lees-McRae def. No. 3 North Greenville, 16-12
BOX SCORE
Sunday, April 26 - Final (YHC Lacrosse Field – Young Harris, Ga.)
No. 2 Lees-McRae vs. No. 4 Barton, 1:00 p.m.