The Lipscomb men’s soccer team lost 2-1 in a home matchup against Butler on Wednesday.
The match was characterized by numerous fouls on both sides, quick counterattacks, and physical play on a cold afternoon in Nashville. Inside of two minutes, the Bulldogs created a dangerous opportunity in the form of a free kick just outside the box. Finland native Alex Lehtinen struck the ball well, but it ended up over the crossbar.
The visitors earned a corner in the 7th minute through a corner kick. The Bulldogs still failed to convert and the match remained scoreless. But the scoreless streak didn’t last long, as Joel Harvey delivered a wonderful goal off of a second Bulldogs corner in the 11th minute. His corner kick caught Lipscomb off guard, curling into the back of the net.
Butler continued to dominate possession and attacking chances until the 15-minute mark when a Louis Robinson through-ball found Ruben Pedersen’s run through the middle and the freshman from Denmark found the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
That goal sparked the Bisons’ attacking mentality, and both sides began to develop promising attacks in an attempt to seize an advantage. In the 25th minute, Alejandro Lopez struck the post with his effort on the edge of the box just minutes after being substituted on.
Neither the Bisons nor the Bulldogs had many quality opportunities after Lopez’s attempt, as both sides settled in defensively and endured a physical battle for the remainder of the half.
The second half started much like the first, with Butler creating attacking chances early. In the 47th minute, Bisons goalkeeper Alex Brown made a fantastic save to deny Rhys Myers’ point-blank header off a corner.
In the 48th minute, redshirt freshman Thomas Priest was shown a yellow card for his dangerous tackle, the first booking of the match.
Senior left back Austin Eager missed from close range in the 53rd minute. His shot from a tight angle provided the Bisons with their first good look at a second goal.
Not many clear-cut chances materialized for either side, but Pedersen put a shot on target in the 62nd minute and forced a good save from Butler’s Gabriel Gjergji. Pedersen wasn’t done with his shot attempts, however, as he hit the post with a dangerous shot at the 70-minute mark.
Malik Shaheed added to Lipscomb’s opportunities that didn’t quite materialize, putting a close-range effort over the crossbar. All of Lipscomb’s positive play was canceled out by a straight red card issued to junior Ben Locke in the 82nd minute.
The Bisons fought valiantly after going down to 10 men, but they couldn’t find a winner before regulation ended. This sent the match into overtime, where the Bisons continued to face an uphill battle playing with a man disadvantage.
Brandon Guhl nearly finished the game off for Butler less than three minutes into the period, but he squandered his opportunity in front of the goal. Guhl had another shot blocked a minute later, and the ensuing corner was dealt with by the Bisons defense.
Robinson gave the Bisons their best opportunity of the match when he sent an effort just wide of goal.
The Bulldogs ended the match with a Wilmer Cabrera, Jr. goal in the 8th minute of overtime. The Colombian finished off an opportunity in front of the goal to send Butler back to Indiana with the win.
The Bisons will get an opportunity to avenge the home loss on Saturday when they face ASUN opponents NJIT at 7 p.m. Eastern on October 19.
Photo courtesy of Kathryn Farris.