HICKORY, N.C. – A stunned Lee University women's soccer team refused to fold after seeing a 2-0 lead slip away against a talented Lenoir-Rhyne University team during a hot Thursday afternoon at the Moretz Sports-Athletic Complex. A goal in the 86th minute gave the Lady Flames a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The season opener for both teams saw the Lady Flames take a 1-0 lead at the halftime break. Lee escaped a half-time tie just before the break when two shots by the Bears just missed, one hitting the bar and bouncing away and quickly the second shot hit the crossbar and kicked back.
Senior Alaysia Nye wasted no time in putting the Lady Flames on top at the 7:06 mark in the first half. She scored up close for the well-played assist from sophomore Megan Davis. The aggressive Lee defense and the play of senior goalkeeper Abby Whitcomb kept the Bears from growling in the first 45 minutes.
Lee increased the lead to 2-0 some 12 minutes deep (56:54) into the second half. Senior Grace Berry, an All-GSC Preseason Selection, picked up the second goal of the contest when the ever-present midfielder Davis delivered her second assist. The Lady Flames were feeling good but Lenoir-Rhyne was far from finished.
The home squad made it a 2-1 game at the 65:30 mark and things started to get interesting on a goal by Lucia Hidalgo. The assist was credited to Kaitlyn Marcinowski. It was the Bears time to celebrate when the clock read 73:49 on a goal by Isabella Zicchinolfi to make it a 2-2 battle. Savannah Hughes delivered the big assist.
Coach Lee Hughes reinserted Nye at this point and the senior went to work with the help of a red-shirt senior. Nye went down inside the box for her second goal with teammate Berry by her side to knock in the game-winning shot. Nora Burton dished off the important assist. All three players went to the turf in a tremendous time of celebration at the 86:16 mark of the contest.
The Lady Flames got outstanding defensive play from Isabella Valentine, Avery Sides and Whitney Carrigan. All three joined Whitcomb in playing 90 minutes. Freshman Aubrey Benfield and graduate student Analisa Lujan also gave the club some solid minutes.
Lee will go back to work and will open the home season at the Ray Conn Sports Complex when they host Tusculum University on Wednesday in a contest slated for a 5 p.m. start.
Coach Lee Hughes' thoughts:
"It was a really good match for both teams. Credit to Lenoir-Rhyne, they made it really difficult to get a hold of the game in the second half. But I think we showed what we are all about today. We are going to be a team that doesn't stop and keeps fighting until the end no matter what. We will just keep taking it day by day and tomorrow is just another day that we try to get better as a group."
