The Lipscomb men’s soccer team is heading the Pacific Northwest for its second NCAA tournament appearance.
During Monday’s NCAA Selection Show, the Bisons learned that their first-round opponent will be the Washington Huskies. The match is set for Thursday at 9:00 p.m. CT in Seattle.
“It’s great to still be going and still be a part of all of this,” Lipscomb senior forward Logan Paynter said. “I haven’t been to the Pacific Northwest and I don’t know much about [Washington], but [I’m] super excited to get out there and go play a game.”
Lipscomb (9-9) began its season with a dismal 1-7 record, but the team made a miraculous turnaround to win eight of their final 10 matches. That stretch included upsets of No. 10 Louisville and No. 24 Florida Gulf Coast.
In Saturday night’s ASUN title game, the Bisons defeated Stetson, 2-0. Paynter set the school record for goals by scoring the 34th and 35th tallies of his career.
Lipscomb dropped a 2-0 contest at Butler in its NCAA tournament debut last season. Lipscomb coach Charles Morrow said he believes the lessons learned from that loss will help the Bisons in their second-straight postseason appearance.
“[Butler] was a team that could have gotten a bye in the first round,” Morrow said. “I think that, while Washington will be just as strong, I really feel like the guys have more belief and more confidence in themselves this year.”
Washington (12-7) is making its sixth NCAA tournament appearance under coach Jamie Clark, and the Huskies have a 12-23-2 all-time record in tournament play. Senior forward Scott Menzies leads the team with nine goals.
“Hearing your name get called on Selection Monday never gets old,” Clark said in a statement released by the school.
“Clearly every team in the 48-team field has earned their way into the tournament, so we know we will have to be at our very best to get results.”
The winner of the Lipscomb-Washington game will make the cross-country trip to Central Florida (13-2-3) for the second round of the tournament on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics