The Flames grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute on a goal by Nick Lowrey. The assist was recorded by Sebastian Lara.
Lee held the 1-0 margin at the break, but the Patriots got a score from Renan Serafirn in the 67th minute to deadlock the struggle. He was assisted by Pedro Costa.
“We played very strong soccer in the first half,” said Lee assistant coach Thuba Nkomazana. “We went flat in the second half, and then finished strong in the two overtimes. We had our chances to win against a very good team.”
The official Cumberlands stats show the Patriots out-shooting the Flames 17-6. However, all six of Lee's shots were on goal. Cumberlands also had six on target. Lee keeper Benjamin Perez was credited with five saves in the tie.
It was the third match of the year for the Cumberlands and it was also their third tie. They are 0-0-3. The Flames will return to the Lee Soccer Field on Tuesday and host Tennessee Temple in a 7 p.m. match.
No. 3 Lady Flames win
SEWANEE — Coach Matt Yelton said his third-ranked Lee women’s soccer team “simply played hard and found a way to win” 2-1 in a very physical game at the University of the South on Wednesday evening.
Freshman Ashley Aragona missed most of the first half after being shaken up. However, she returned in the second stanza and posted what turned out to be the winning goal. Katrine Korsgaard picked up the assist. The score came with some 23 minutes remaining in the battle.
Lee jumped on top in the 15th minute as freshman Benedicte Christensen took a well executed pass from junior Jamie Achten. The Tigers came fighting back and tied the game at one before Aragona scored the winner.
The Lady Flames improved to 3-1 on the year. Kristi Koudelka and Leah Wilson split time in goal for Yelton’s club. “It was a tough environment and our girls certainly out-shot them. We’ve got to find a way to put more shots in the back of the net,” the coach noted. “I was pleased that our girls kept fighting and stuck with the game plan. We were able to walk away from this contest with some positives.”
The rugged road adventures continue for the Lady Flames on Saturday. They will face long-time rival and 5th ranked Martin Methodist in an 8 p.m. start. “It doesn’t get any easier after that,” pointed out Yelton. “We’ve got the No. 4 and No. 5 ranked teams coming in for our Classic one week from Saturday.”
