The University of North Georgia handed Lee their first loss of the season in a 4-2 battle on a warm Tuesday evening at the Ray Conn Sports Complex. The Flames fall to an even 1-1 on the season while the Nighthawks improve to 2-0.

The Flames controlled the early part of the match with a few near misses at net, but it was North Georgia's Donovan Odier who put the first point on the board in the 18th minute. Odier's fellow seniors Gustavo Alancar and Kevin Lopez were both credited with his assist on a beautiful cross into the box by Lopez and a quick touch from Alancar to Odier.

Lee's freshmen answered back 10 minutes later. Gui Busato headed in his first collegiate goal off of a pass from Fabian Navarro. The two freshmen have made their presence known on the field, as both Navarro, this week's GSC Freshman of the Week, and Busato start their collegiate careers off strong.

It was a 1-1 tie at halftime. The Flames led 6-3 in shots while the Nighthawks were whistled for nine fouls compared to three by the home team.

Odier struck for the second time off another Alancar assist to give North Georgia a 2-1 advantage early into the second half in the 52nd minute. After an initial lunging save by Lee goalie Sam Keener, the Flames were unable to clear, and Odier was there with a quick shot to the back of the net, scoring his third goal of the new season.

The Flames attempts to fire back were halted by North Georgia's defense, as the Nighthawks consistently swarmed on the ball in the box and found ways to jump in front of the Flames' shots to keep the score at a standstill for the next 13 minutes. 

After multiple close shots, Jared McWhorter finally got one in the back of the net to tie the game 2-2. A strong shot from the top of the box, McWhorter's equalizing goal in the 65th minute caused cheers to erupt from both the field and the stands.

"I thought we showed a lot of resiliency tonight finding two tying goals," said head coach Derek Potteiger. "We talk a lot about bouncing back and tying things when we get down, and I'm proud of the way we responded on those two occasions tonight." 

It was then a back-and-forth physical battle for both teams. But in the 77th minute, North Georgia's Gustavo scored off an assist from Victor Galterio, bringing the Nighthawk's a one-goal lead. Gustavo tallied two assists and a goal in tonight's match.

The Flames looked to battle back from behind for the third time, but the Nighthawks sealed their victory with Victor Galterio's low right goal with just four minutes remaining. Dawid Zajac was credited with the assist.

"I was pleased with how we played offensively tonight, we created a number of chances, and when we score two goals, we should win most matches," noted Potteiger. "We have some work to do defensively, and unfortunately the mistakes we made tonight were costly. I give North Georgia credit for exposing some things we need to work on defensively, but these are things that are correctable, and we will go to work this week to correct those for Saturday."

Lee held an 18-8 lead in shots and 8-2 advantage in corner kicks, but North Georgia held the lead on the scoreboard where it matters most. North Georgia's freshman goalkeeper Garrett Liles came away with the win tallying five saves.

The Flames look to bounce back Saturday when they face off against Tusculum University at 7 p.m. at the Ray Conn Sports Complex.