Cleveland, Tenn. - The Lee University women's soccer team posted its second straight victory over a ranked opponent on Wednesday afternoon at the Ray Conn Sports Complex. The Lady Flames defeated the University of North Georgia, 3-1. It was the Nighthawks' first road loss since December 2024. Lee improved to 2-0-1 with the victory and will open GSC action on Sept. 12 when they travel to the University of Auburn at Montgomery for a 6 p.m. contest.
Lee trailed 1-0 at the halftime break when North Georgia's Emma Moreau tallied on an assist from Reese Humphries. The Lady Flames actually outshot the visitors 5-3 in the opening period and had four shots on goal.
The second 45 minutes was an entirely different story. Lee struck quickly. The first score came at the 56:16 mark. North Georgia goalkeeper Kayleigh Marreel pulled out of the box trying to prevent a Lee score and then tackled a Lee player. The Lady Flames were awarded a penalty kick, and Aubrey Benefield stepped up and tied the contest at one with her kick.
In the blink of an eye, the Lady Flames struck again at 57:08. Sydney Clements put her left foot on the ball and drilled it into the right-side bottom of the net, giving Lee a 2-1 advantage. A little dressing was put on the win when Megan Davis stepped up for her second goal of the season. It came at the 61:24 mark and was off her right foot into the bottom-center of the net. Whitney Carrigan delivered a long pass and Audrey O'Meara connected with Davis for the goal and the double assist.
The Lee defense stood out the entire afternoon. North Georgia was held to only seven shots and only one was on goal. Lee keeper Abby Whitcomb allowed one goal while picking up one save. Marreel had seven saves for the Nighthawks and allowed three goals. All totaled, Lee had five shots in the first half and nine in the second period, outshooting the visitors 14-7. Each team had two corner kicks. North Georgia was whistled for 14 fouls and had one yellow card. Lee had 13 fouls and a pair of yellow cards.
Coach Lee Hughes' Thoughts:
"We are all about how we can dominate our opponent just through our grit and that is what we showed in the second half. If I am honest I was a little annoyed at halftime, but in the second half culture really shown through. We now have a rare week before our next game where we can revocer and prepare for AUM."
