A heart-breaking loss best describes the Lee women soccer team's non-conference battle against visiting Carson-Newman College on the Lee Soccer Field on Saturday evening. The Eagles converted the golden goal two minutes deep into the overtime period to capture the hard-fought 3-2 victory.
To the disappointment of no one, the two Division II heavyweights staged a furious battle. The win gave the Eagles program their 300th victory. They also avoided a fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Lady Flames and evened the series at three games apiece.
Carson-Newman jumped on top (4:24)when Emlee Futelli picked up a loose ball inside the box for the score. It was her fourth goal of the year. The Lady Flames got the equalizer on Mia Hollingsworth's tally (6:03). It was her fourth score and the unassisted tally came on a hard strike from the near corner.
The Eagles regained the lead in the first half (28:42) when Kennedy Rankin drilled a one-timer inside the box off a touch pass. The assists were registered by Magda Mosengo and Elena Propst.
"Hats off to Carson-Newman, they were the better team in the first half and deservedly led at halftime," stated Lee head coach Chris Hennessey. "The effort and intensity was more like us in the second half. We showed tremendous character, but against a good team like Carson-Newman, you can't afford to have a half like we had in the first."
With the clock ticking down in the second half, Riley Engels recorded her first goal of the year to tie the thriller at two with just over six minutes remaining. Hollingsworth picked up the assist.
The visitors reacted quickly in overtime (92:33). Rankin snuck her shot into the far corner from the near right wing. The win evened Carson-Newman's record at 2-2 while the Lady Flames dropped to 2-1-1 on the year. They will return to action on Wednesday when they play host to Emmanuel College (6 p.m.). "We now have some time to catch our breath again and get ready for Wednesday," the coach added.
The Eagles outshot Lee 17-7 and placed eight of their shots on target. Lee had five shots on frame. Lee keeper Taylor Green was outstanding in the second half and finished the contest with five saves. Jackie Burns had two saves in registering the win. The visitors had five corner kicks and Lee four. "Taylor came up with some wonderful saves for us tonight and kept us in the game," praised Hennessey.
