The athletics rivalry between Lipscomb and Belmont has stood the test of time, dating back to 1953 in men’s basketball, where the rivalry is most heated.
One hundred and forty-nine games later, the Battle of the Boulevard continues to be an event of importance on campus across all sports. While NCAA Division I basketball’s closest geographical rivalry is the jewel in the Battle of the Boulevard’s crown, sports across campus feel the effects of the rivalry between the two sides in south Nashville.
Since nearly every sport hosted by both schools pits the two together, a common benchmark for who is winning the Battle is the overall number of wins across all sports during a season. Midway through the 2021-22 school year, it’s time to have a look at how Lipscomb is doing against its rival up the road in each sport.
Baseball: TBD
Basketball: 0-2
- Women: L 62-67 @ Belmont. The women’s team put up a valiant effort against a Bruins team that received preseason top-25 votes, but their performance came up 5 points short despite a 4th-quarter lead.
- Men: L 65-94 @ Belmont. The men’s team struggled in perhaps the worst Battle of the Boulevard performance in Lipscomb men’s basketball history. Belmont dominated from start to finish and played a large portion of the second half with their reserves in the game.
Soccer: 0-1-1
- Women: L 0-1 v Belmont. While technically a preseason contest, the women’s soccer team suffered a rare loss in a highly successful fall 2021 season against their rivals to the north. They went on to achieve an ASUN championship and a NCAA National Tournament appearance at Tennessee.
- Men: D 1-1, 2 OT v Belmont. One of the more agonizing moments at Lipscomb Soccer Complex in recent memory saw a game-winning goal in double overtime disallowed because it came centimeters short of crossing the goal line as time expired. The Bisons came back to level the game in regular time, but could only settle for a draw. The men’s team would also go on to win a conference title and play Hofstra in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Softball: TBD
Tennis: 0-1
- Women: TBD
- Men: L 3-4 v Belmont. By the closest of margins, the Bisons couldn’t claim the most recent iteration of the rivalry on January 28.
Volleyball: 1-0; W 3-0 v Belmont. With the home crowd of Allen Arena behind them, the Bisons took down their rivals in dominant fashion, shutting out the Bruins for one of their 14 wins on the season.
Total across all sports: 1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses
Matches still to play: 3 (baseball, softball, women’s tennis)
As things stand now, the Bisons are behind, but three wins in the remaining three matchups would level the two sides in 2021-22.
The next Battle of the Boulevard matchup comes February 19 in a home women’s tennis match.