SSAC News
Thu, Nov 12, 2009 - [Men's Soccer]
MARIETTA, Ga. - Without a doubt, Lee's 2-1 men's soccer victory over No. 4 ranked and previously unbeaten Southern Polytechnic State University (13-1-1) must go down with the biggest in the program's history.
The deck was stacked against coach Henry Moyo's unit. They trailed
the the Hornets 1-0 when Kwame Adu Boumah picked up a red card early in
the second half and forced the Flames to play one man down the rest of
the match. "The red card seemed to fire up our team," said the excited
Moyo. "We played with a lot of fight and spirit the rest of the way."
Lee tied the contest with 18 minutes remaining. Mohamed Aden fired
a shot past the Southern Poly keeper. Shaun Cleaver registered the
assist. "We really turned out to be a party-pooper at that point,"
admitted the laughing Moyo. "I'm very proud of this group. The spirit
they have shown in the last two games has been special."
The clock ticked down to the three-minute mark when Oneil Crawford
broke free and picked up an assist from Curtis Alcide. He lofted his
shot past the Southern Poly's keeper and the Flames were in business.
"After we went a man down, we had to lay back and counter with long
balls," noted Moyo. "It is the second straight winning goal by Oneil.
He's starting to believe that he can be the scorer that we need so
badly."
Moyo, whose Flames moved back to the .500 mark once more (8-8-3),
confessed that he chewed his club out during the half-time break. "We
played OK. in the first half, but at times we were prancing around like
we were kings. I took them back to the bus and I don't think they have
ever seen me that upset." His magic speech apparently worked wonders.
Moyo noted that keeper Luidgi Beauzile turned in several key saves
in the victory. He also praised the effort of Luke Cuthbert. "Luke
gives us a solid effort every time out," stressed the coach. "His
family was in town to watch him play today."
Advancing to the final for the second straight year is almost
an identical pattern to last year. In 2008, Lee entered the SSAC
tournament with a losing record and pulled off key upset wins over SSAC
powerhouses Auburn Montgomery and Berry College to earn a berth in the
first round of the NAIA National Tournament.
Ironically, Auburn Montgomery, ranked 17th in the final NAIA poll
and with a 13-3-2 record, will await Lee's visit on Saturday at 2 p.m.
It will be a winner-take-all match. For the loser there is no tomorrow.
The Senators earned the right to host the Flames by defeating Shorter
on Wednesday.
