Coach Paul Furey and his men's Lee soccer team have battled through more than their share of difficult challenges the entire season and that will be the case again this weekend when the Flames travel to Campbellsville, Ky. to take part in the NCCAA Mid-East Region.

MID-EAST REGION IS LOADED
If the "Overtime Kids" are to claim the Mid-East title and advance to the NCCAA National Championships in Kissimmee, Fla., it will take the same type of never-say-die play that carried the Flames to an 8-2-4 mark as a first-year member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC). Lee finished a surprising second in the GSC and posted a solid 10-3-5 overall record.

The Flames are ranked ninth in this week's NCCAA poll and will face a Mississippi College team (Friday, 5 p.m.) that is 11-3-3 overall and listed as No. 13 in the NCCAA rankings. It'll be the first-ever meeting between the two squads, who join Union as provisional members of the GSC and NCAA Division II. Host Campbellsville (15-3-1), ranked fifth, will face Union University (5-12-1) in Friday's other semifinal contest.

FUREY TALKS ABOUT CHALLENGES
"We certainly have a challenging road in our quest to get to the NCCAA National Tournament," said Furey. "Our region has three of the top rated teams in the NCCAA Top 15.

"Mississippi College has had another good year and will be a tough test on Friday. Campbellsville will be a tough team to beat on their field after a very good season in their conference, but must beat Union first.

"It is really a very competitive region. We'll keep doing what we've been doing and let the results take care of themselves."

LIVE VIDEO STREAM
Live video and live stats will be provided for all tournament matches via Stretch Internet http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/camp.portal#.