After battling three rugged NCAA Division II opponents over the past nine days and coming away empty handed, the Lee women's soccer team (1-2-1) collected its first victory on Sunday afternoon, a convincing 3-0 win against another D2 school in Lincoln Memorial University (LMU).
The Lady Flames and Rail Splitters (1-1-1) were deadlocked at the half-time break 0-0 and in the back of his mind, Lee coach Chris Hennessey must have been wondering what it would take for his team to connect on their shots in a consistent manner.

His club answered any concerns when Kaela Leskovar knocked in a shot from the top of the box to give Lee the only score they would need on what turned out to be a perfect afternoon at the Lee Soccer Field. The score came in the 51^st minute and just for insurance purposes, Mia Hollingsworth tallied back-to-back goals to make the final count stand at 3-0.

Hollingsworth's first tally came in the 65^th minute when her shot hit the top of the bar and rebounded back into the net. Most likely at that time, coach Hennessey must have smiled to himself and realized his luck was finally changing. (The Lady Flames had shot-after-shot bounce off the bars during a Friday evening tie with visiting Newberry College).

Kinsey Cichowitz collected the first assist. Hollingsworth's second score came off a perfect shot inside of the near post. McKenzie Bricker got the assist.

The Lee victory was the first for Hennessey who is in his initial season as head coach of the Lady Flames. "Today was a real test for us mentally and physically," said the pleased coach.  "After having exerted a lot of energy on Friday night, we knew we had to be focused and possess the ball a lot more."
 
Possession was a key in the victory. The Lee midfielders and defenders dominated the action. They limited LMU to only six shots on the afternoon and three were on target. Starting goalkeeper Haley Gribler had one save and reserve Erin Olson collected a pair. On the other hand, Lee fired 17 shots and had five on target. LMU keepers Kathryn Lundy and Kayla Stephens had one save apiece.
 
"This was a real team effort," pointed out Hennessey. "Everybody contributed and stuck to their tasks. After the first half we had to dig deep and up our energy levels. I was very proud at the way we came out in second half and took control of the game."
 
Things do not get any easier for Hennessey and his Lady Flames. They will hit the road for three straight road matches, starting Wednesday at Georgia College. A week from today, the Lady Flames will travel to North Alabama to open conference play and then test another GSC foe on Sept. 25 at West Georgia before returning home.
 
"I saw a lot of heart and character and this win is huge for us as a team," the coach added. "Hopefully, this is the kick we need heading into conference play next weekend. The key for us right now is to make sure we get everyone healthy as again we have a relatively short turnaround as we play another tough opponent on Wednesday."