Lady Flames to scrimmage against women's CFC at Finley Stadium
CFC fan club, the Chattahooligans
taken by Alex Farmer
The Lady Flames are taking on the semi-pro women of Chattanooga Football Club (CFC) Wednesday, April 12 at 5:30 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
CFC was looking for a scrimmage, and happened to find the Lee University women’s soccer team in their own backyard, training hard for the coming season. CFC needed the scrimmage to keep their legs fresh before a big game against an international team and decided the lady Flames would be worthy of the challenge.
“We’re expecting a very tough game,” Lady Flames head coach Chris Hennessy said.
Hennessey said playing against a more mature team will be a test for the Lady Flames but believes if they stay disciplined they have a chance. He expects CFC to control the ball since they have the ability to read the game more quickly than the Flames.
However, like wading into a pool, he sees his team warming up to the game before diving in to show what they are made of.
“I expect both teams to come out ready to play and wanting to prove something,” Flame and CFC member Summer Lanter said. “I think it will be a hard fought, close game.”
Summer 2017 will be Lanter’s third season with CFC. Though CFC is in training for their summer season, Lanter has put Lee as her priority and will be facing her teammates, along with two of her sisters, today.
“It will be competitive, but very funny. My sisters and I are very competitive so we will all want to win,” Lanter said. “There will be no taking it easy towards each other, that's for sure. At the end of the day, there will be no hard feelings from any of us.”
Hennessey hopes to see the team go to the national tournaments in the fall of 2017 and believes this game will be a good indicator of what that will be like.
“Playing in an environment that is publicized and against a team that is expected to have control will be a great experience,” Hennessey said.
Despite final exams looming over them, the Lady Flames are expected to have high energy and be prepared to fight.
“This is the last spring season for a big majority of our girls because of becoming seniors next fall,” Lady Flames junior McKenzie Bricker said. “I think that will help to raise the energy because we will want to end our last spring game ever on a good note.”
