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CLINTON, Miss. – Lee women's soccer head coach Chris Hennessey knew when he took his Lady Flames to the Delta and faced Delta State and Mississippi College, that bringing back a couple of wins to Cleveland would not be an easy task. He was exactly right.
 
After defeating Delta State on Friday 1-0 in double overtime, host Mississippi College handed the Lady Flames a 3-1 defeat on Sunday afternoon on Longabaugh Field. The Choctaws improved their unbeaten record in GSC play to 5-0 and stand at 7-1 overall. Lee dropped to 3-2 in league play and 6-2-1.
 
"Right now this team has to learn how to play the second game of a weekend," said Coach Hennessey. "We had some good opportunities to score in the first half but failed to do so. I didn't like the way we finished the first half and unfortunately it carried on into the second period. Mississippi College just came out with more urgency than us."
 
The two rivals battled to a scoreless first half. The Lady Flames had five shots and two on goal. The Choctaws had eight shots and four on frame. Lee had three corner kicks to just one for the host team.
 
The second half was a different story. The Choctaws got on the board just over three minutes deep into the second stanza (43:19). Lee keeper Taylor Green blocked the first scoring attempt but Lindsey Stephenson picked up the rebound and drilled it into the back of the net.
 
The Choctaws seemed to gain momentum and quickly scored again. Emma Claire Furman recorded the goal, her fourth of the year, and gave Mississippi College a 2-0 advantage at the 51:35 mark. The Choctaws salted the win away in the 73rd minute when Katie Taylor knocked in a header off an assist by Rita Okoro.
 
The Lady Flames finally dented the board in the 82nd minute on Riley Engels first goal of the season. Engels' powerful shot from the left flank came from some 20 yards away and sailed past the Choctaws keeper into the back of the net.
 
Final statistics show Mississippi College attempting 20 shots and placing 11 on target. The Lady Flames had 15 shots but only four were on goal. Lee keeper Taylor Green had eight saves while Choctaws keeper Gabby Kayser picked up the win in recording three saves.
 
The Lady Flames will continue their road adventures next Friday (Oct. 5th) facing another rugged challenge in West Florida. The Argonauts are also unbeaten against GSC foes. Lee will continue on to Mobile to test Spring Hill next Sunday.