The Lee women's lacrosse team opened the 2020 season with a convincing 20-10 win over Mars Hill College on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Flames played the game on the turf field at Cleveland High School's Benny Monroe Stadium due to unplayable field conditions on the South Quad Field due to the rain and snow this past week.

The two teams battled closely in the first half with the Lady Flames breaking away late in the half to take an 11-7 advantage into the intermission. The second half was all Lee as head coach Derrel Martin's ladies allowed just three goals and put the game away with nine more scores.

Sophomores Shayna Ryan and Dariana Blanton and freshman Brittney White led the Lady Flames with four goals each. Giselle Gonzalez and Jolee Davis added three each. Davis set up her teammates with three assists and led the team with six points.

"We were glad to pull out a win today against a fast and aggressive Mars Hill team.  This was the first ever college lacrosse game for our nine freshmen and five of them were starting.  I think we had early first game jitters as we turned the ball over too many times and we were often not very patient on attack," said Lee head coach Derrel Martin. "Freshman Jolie Davis did a great job of running our offense as she picked up three goals and three assists.  Brittney White dominated the draw with 24 draw controls and that gave us the advantage of extra possessions.  She also provided four goals and an assist to have a great day.  Dariana Blanton and Shayna Ryan each had 4 goals to make for a balanced attack. " 

Offensively the new look Lady Flames fired 43 shots and placed 32 on goal. The Lady Flames dominated draw controls, 26-6 to keep possession throughout the match, White was showcased her ability in the circle with 23 draw controls.

Defensively, Lee allowed just nine goals and 15 shots to the Lions. Caleigh Smith, a freshman from Waxhaw, N.C., was sharp in her Lee debut in net as she recorded three saves and shutdown the Lions in the second half.

Gini Joy was tagged with the loss in net for Mars Hill as she allowed 20 goals. Facing an onslaught of shots throughout the contest, Joy recorded 12 saves.

"Our defense did an excellent job of pressuring the Mars Hill offense and limited them to just 12 shots on goal for the day," added Martin. "I'm very proud of our riding defense which kept Mars Hill to under 50 percent successful clears.  We kept them disrupted on their clears almost every time."

Kiersten Foust led the Lions with four goals. She took seven shots and placed five on the mark. No other player had more than one goal. The loss drops Mars Hill to an even 1-1 on the year.

The Lady Flames (1-0) will return to the South Quad Field on Wednesday as they welcome South Atlantic Conference foe Lincoln Memorial to campus. First draw is slated for 3 p.m.