GREENVILLE, S.C. -- When Furman's head women's soccer
coach Brian Lee signed Kaye Brownlee (Kennesaw, Ga.) to a national letter
of intent in February, he knew he was getting a talented young soccer player
with a lot of big-game experience. Through the first half of the
1998 season, Brownlee has more than lived up to expectations as she has
led the Lady Paladins to a 6-3 overall record.
Brownlee, who has started all nine matches as a midfielder, is Furman's leading scorer with five goals and seven assists on the season. She ranks third in the Southern Conference in scoring and her seven assists in nine matches place her 17th in the nation in assists per match. Brownlee has managed to score a goal or record an assist in seven of Furmanís nine matches. In matches that Brownlee records an assist, the Lady Paladins are 6-0, while they are 0-3 in matches in which she does not have an assist. Brownlee has recorded one match-winning goal this season as she scored with eight minutes to play as Furman downed conference foe Davidson 2-1 on September 16.
Brownlee's performance has not been limited to simply goals and assists. She is a team leader on the field and has been forced to make some plays on the defensive side of the ball as well.
"Kaye has been a tremendous addition to our squad," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "She controls the field beautifully in the center midfield position and she is great at creating plays and on set pieces."
Brownlee regularly plays the full 90 minutes and is one of five freshmen that typically appear in Furmanís starting lineup. Furman is currently riding a four match winning streak, one shy of the school record set in 1997. The Lady Paladins are 2-0 in the Southern Conference and will be fighting for an NCAA bid at this yearís Southern Conference Tournament to be held at Furman November 7 and 8.
"Furman has been a great experience so far," said Brownlee. "To have the chance to play Division I soccer and receive the kind of education that I am receiving at Furman is an unbelievable opportunity. Our team got off to a rough start, but we have started to play together and we expect to win the Southern Conference and go to the NCAA Tournament."
Brownlee is a 1998 graduate of Sprayberry High School in Kennesaw, Ga. She was a member of the highly successful club, the Atlanta TopHats, and was a member of the Region III Olympic Development Team in 1997-98. Brownlee was also selected as a NSCAA/Umbro Academic All-American in 1997.
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