by Hannah Pipher | Nov 6, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Men’s soccer team has not seen an ASUN Final since 2010, but they ended this spell after defeating the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles this afternoon, 2-1. Just eighteen seconds into the game, senior Ivan Sakou sailed a seemingly harmless shot through the FGCU keeper’s legs into the back of the net. During the 28th minute, FGCU’s Dennis Zapata evened the score with a cross into the back of the net. The Eagles, attempting to take the lead, sent four more shots towards junior keeper Christopher Zappia during the remainder of the half. At the halftime break, the Bisons and Eagles still remained tied 1-1, but the Eagles led in shots 7-4 and shots on goal 3-1. With twenty minutes remaining in the half, junior Logan Paynter received the ball off of sophomore defender Austin Eager’s foot, before heading it into the right corner of the net, leading the game 2-1. The Eagles refused to give up without a battle and continued firing shots on the Bisons. However, when the buzzer sounded, the Lipscomb Bisons were the champions of the 2017 ASUN Semifinals. This victory is the first time Lipscomb has defeated FGCU since the 2007-2008 season, and the first ever triumph in the ASUN tournament. The Bisons will play at No. 5 seed Jacksonville for the ASUN title on Saturday, November 11 at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 6, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
For the first half of Sunday’s ASUN final, the Lipscomb women’s soccer team was within arm’s reach of its first-ever conference title. Florida Gulf Coast was not having any part of it. The Eagles recovered from a 2-0 deficit with two second-half tallies and a double-overtime goal to top the Bisons, 3-2, at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. With the victory, FGCU took its fourth-consecutive ASUN championship and clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. “We had a really difficult semifinal that drained us – probably more than FGCU’s semifinal drained them,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “We kind of ran out of gas. We didn’t have the legs we needed to push through it.” FGCU downed Lipscomb in both the 2015 and 2016 title games, and ultimately had the Bisons’ number once again this year, as Varin Ness scored a breakaway goal to lift the Eagles in sudden-death overtime. “To lose the conference final in Golden Goal…these girls are going to be hurting,” O’Brien said. “But I tell them each and every week that their identity isn’t found in soccer.” With 19 minutes left in the first half, Lipscomb went up 1-0 when Hannah Torbett rocketed a shot off the post and into the back of the net. The tally – Torbett’s first of the season – came from nearly 25 yards out. 12 minutes later, Lipscomb’s Ellen Lundy made it 2-0 with her eighth goal of the season. The score came off a cross from Olivia Doak that was headed to Lundy by Arielle Hansford. FGCU’s Holly Fritz and Camille Knudstrup each tallied second-half goals to knot the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 4, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
For the third consecutive year, the Lipscomb women’s soccer team will play Florida Gulf Coast for the ASUN title. Unlike the previous two meetings, the 2017 edition of the championship game will be played in Nashville. The Bisons used an early goal from Justis Bailey to defeat Kennesaw State 1-0 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Friday, setting up a chance for revenge against the Eagles on Sunday. “It was a competitive tournament game,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “You could feel the tension, the emotion and the passion – it was all on display. It was incredible.” Bailey’s goal came in the 11th minute, when the junior defender received a pass from Natalie Duboise and headed the ball into the top right corner of the net. The tally was Bailey’s first of her career. “I’ll be honest with you – I’m completely shocked that’s her first one,” O’Brien said of Bailey’s goal. “She’s very good in the air and (the goal) came at the perfect time. She’s been a great player for us this year, and she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves.” Lipscomb had numerous scoring chances in the second half but was unable to cash in on any of its opportunities for an insurance goal. Senior Ellen Lundy opened the second half with a header off the post, and later sophomore Jordan Walsh sent a shot just over the crossbar. Lipscomb forward Olivia Doak found the back of the net with 20 minutes remaining, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul. “A second goal could have taken the steam out of the game, but we weren’t able...
by Hannah Pipher | Nov 1, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Many college students consider themselves lucky to simply graduate in four years with their sanity intact, let alone receive an award for the first time in school history. First-year graduate student Ellen Lundy was awarded ASUN Player of the Year Wednesday. Lundy has also been recognized as a scholar athlete and a member of the All-Conference First Team in addition to being ASUN Player of the Year. Other notable mentions for ASUN Women’s Soccer awards this season include seniors Jade Abarca and Niamh Rawlins on the All-Conference First Team, sophomore Olivia Doak and junior Justis Bailey on the All-Conference Second Team and Coach Kevin O’Brien as ASUN Coach of the Year. Lundy mentioned that she was really shocked to learn the news because she views the team as doing more work than she does and because she thought that there were more deserving girls in the conference. While Lundy was surprised by the news of the award, O’Brien was not shocked to learn that ASUN unanimously selected her as the recipient. “She scored some pivotal goals for us this year, and a lot of those have come in conference, so the impression she has left on the other head coaches is that she is a gamer, and she is really important to our success,” O’Brien said. Receiving an award of this honor typically comes with pressure to uphold the image that has been placed on the individual. However, Lundy has chosen not to feel the pressure, but instead embrace her original goals for the season. “I didn’t start this season thinking, ‘My goal is to win ASUN Player of the Year.’ I started the season...
by Russell Vannozzi | Oct 23, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Lipscomb women’s soccer team will be sleeping in their own beds when the ASUN conference tournament rolls around on Nov. 3. That’s because the Bisons clinched the No. 1 seed after reeling off four straight conference victories in the first two-and-a-half weeks of October – including a 1-0 win at No. 25 Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 17. Senior Ellen Lundy scored on a penalty kick to knock off the Eagles, who topped Lipscomb in both the 2015 and 2016 ASUN conference title games. “It’s been a long time coming,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “We’ve lost to (FGCU) in the last two conference championships, so if I had [to list] a nemesis, they would be ours. Our players were really fired up for that game.” Lundy has been the key cog for Lipscomb and she leads the team with seven goals – four of which have been game-winning tallies. “What makes [Lundy] so incredible is that she’s got no ego,” O’Brien said. “If you ask her to play in the back, she’s plays in the back with everyone’s she’s got. If you ask her to play up front, she’ll play up front with everything she’s got. She the epitome of a team player.” In addition to the FGCU win, Lipscomb defeated NJIT, North Florida, Jacksonville and USC Upstate in conference play. The Bisons will get a first-round bye for their efforts and will play the winner of the Kennesaw State-North Florida game on Nov. 3. “It’s huge,” O’Brien said of the bye. “We’ve got some players that are worn down and injured, so they’ll have some extra...
by Russell Vannozzi | Oct 22, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
LEXINGTON, Ky.- The Lipscomb men’s soccer team is peaking at the right time and continuing to find ways to win. After victories over Memphis, North Florida and Evansville, the Bisons (9-6) extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 stunner at Kentucky on Saturday night. Logan Paynter got Lipscomb on the board by freezing the Kentucky keeper with a chip shot that lofted its way into the back of the net. The Wildcats (7-5-2) answered with a Leon Jones goal 10 minutes later, but the Bisons countered with a tally by senior forward Ivan Sakou in the 36th minute. Lipscomb led 2-1 at the halftime break. In the 59th minute, Kentucky knotted the game at two when Noah Hutchins scored on a volley from the far post. The Bisons were not to be outdone. Lipscomb junior Ryan Birchfield deposited a shot into the net just one minute later to take a 3-2 lead. Several saves by Lipscomb goalie Christopher Zappia preserved the advantage and the eventual upset victory over the Wildcats. Kentucky was ranked fifth in the Southeast Regional poll heading into the contest. Lipscomb will look to continue its winning ways when it takes on UAB in Birmingham on Tuesday. The Bisons will then wrap their 2017 regular season by hosting Jacksonville next Saturday, Oct. 28. Highlight of Paynter’s goal Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
