Lilly attended Milligan College which played in the NAIAAppalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). He was the AAC Player of the Year in 2005. In 2006, he was both the Conference and Regional Player of the Year. He was also a 2005 and 2006 NAIA honorable mention All American.[1][2]
In 2007, in addition to playing with Mississippi Brilla, Lilly also served as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's soccer teams at Milligan College.