Oct. 23, 2007

Cleveland, Tenn. - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but the Lee University men's soccer team advanced to the semi-final round of the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament by defeating Shorter College 2-0 on the Lee Soccer Field.

Most of the Tuesday evening's tourney opener was played in a light rain and on a soggy turf. After a slow start in the first half, the Flames came around for a score in the opening 16 minutes of the second half. The victory earned the Flames the right to challenge Auburn University Montgomery on Friday at 2:30. The semi-final round and final is being staged at Berry College.

After being out-shot 3-2 in the first half, Lee fired off 15 shots in the second stanza and finished the contest out-shooting the determined Hawks 17-16.

The first Lee goal came in the 61st minute and was scored by freshman John Milhomme. The assist was credited to Ivan Heredia. In the 79th minute, senior Joseph Connor tallied the unassisted goal on a break-away from midfield.

"This is the best I've see our guys play," said head coach Josh Severns. "We came out here and almost ended up with a win. The team has something to be proud of tonight."