Friday, January 1, 1904
DECATUR, Ala. -- Third-seeded Lee University, the three-time defending champion, handily dispatched Houghton 6-0 in the round of 16 of the NAIA women's soccer national tournament Monday. Lee senior captain and reigning national player of the year Jamie Achten set a tournament record with four assists in the rainy contest, extending her NAIA career record to 90, and Ode Fulutudilu scored from two of those, including the ultimate winning goal just 5:15 in. Danielle Ciabattone scored from another Achten assist 10 minutes later, and the first of two Charlotte Canlett goals from double assists sent the Lady Flames into halftime with a 3-0 lead. Leah Fortune and Ashley Aragona helped on that score and Fulutudilu and Fortune scored from Achten set-ups in the first 15 minutes of the second half, before Caroline Scales and Fulutudilu assisted on Canlett's second score. The Lady Flames (20-2) outshot the 17-4-2 New York team 22-4 on the extremely soggy field, and Leah Wilson needed only one save for the shutout. "I thought today was a fantastic performance out of the entire team," Lee coach Matt Yelton said, "and given the field conditions, our ability to stay within our game plan was very pleasing to see." Lee is scheduled to play again at noon EST Wednesday against the winner of today's game between sixth-seeded Olivet Nazarene (17-2-2) and 11th seed Embry-Riddle (17-2-1). Snow mixed in with the rain Monday night, when top seed Lindsey Wilson, one of the two teams to beat the Lady Flames this year, edged No. 16 Oklahoma City 2-1. One team that lost Monday was fourth-seeded Martin Methodist -- 1-0 to Baker from Kansas. Martin Methodist was the last school to beat Lee in the nationals. That was in 2007. The Pulaski, Tenn., team played the Lady Flames to a tie the next year, but Lee advanced on penalty kicks and went on to its first national title.