by Danny Kotula | Oct 23, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Academy varsity football team beat Christ Preparatory Academy 38-0 at the Lipscomb Academy Football Stadium Friday night. Both teams came in with perfect district records and only one loss each on their resume. The one team to beat both sides going in was Oakland, the top-ranked team in the state of Tennessee across all divisions. On a night with 16 penalties for 179 yards, 9 of which went against the Mustangs for 119 yards, the game was hard-fought but never particularly competitive. Lipscomb won the offensive yardage battle by a whopping 472 to 156 yards. 250 of those yards came in the air for the Mustangs, supplemented by 222 yards rushing. The top two teams in the Division II-AA Middle District met in a rematch of last year’s Division II state championship game, and this time around, it was the Mustangs who got the better of the Lions after CPA won the state title in 2020. Lipscomb also came into the game with 10 consecutive wins at home over the course of two seasons, accruing 4 shutouts during that period. Looking to stop that streak, the Lions received the opening kickoff and immediately struggled to build offensive momentum. An early punt on their first drive was followed up by another punt, and a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game was wiped off the board for an offensive penalty. To make matters worse, the visitors lost a fumble on their final drive of the first quarter. In a continuing narrative from the entire season as well as last year, senior running back Alex Broome dominated the CPA defense...
by CJ Arndt | Oct 21, 2021 | Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons softball team tied the Trevecca Nasarene Trojans 4-4 Tuesday at Draper Diamond. The Bisons had already squared off against the Trojans in other more informal Fall Ball contests, none of which have been official. On this occasion, though, the inter-city matchup took place during the week, a purposeful change from both sides. “I think mid-weeks [mid-week games] are different mentally on them than weekend games, so tonight brought a different type of challenge that we have not faced so far this fall and kind of a challenge we wanted on purpose,” head coach Kristin Ryman said. As the Bisons took the field for the last of the Fall Ball contests, sophomore pitcher from Louisberg, North Carolina, Laine Barefoot takes to the circle. Alyssa Triner headed to the box to leadoff for the Trojans, taking the 9th pitch of the at bat to center field for a simple flyout. A slap bunt to freshman third baseman Avery Cox was stopped by a solid defensive play which led to the second out of the inning. A short infield fly got the third inning with three up and three down for the Bisons defensive front. The senior Canton, Georgia native Amy Vetula led off for the Bisons and worked a 5 pitch walk to give the Bisons first runner on the bases. Presley Leebrick hit a hard ball to the right fielder for the first out of the Bisons offensive front. The Trojans catcher failed to keep Vetula in check on first base as she stole second. The Hayden, Alabama native Katelyn Belding struck out on an inside pitch...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 17, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s soccer team defeated the University of North Alabama Lions 1-0 Sunday afternoon in overtime. After 90 minutes of near misses, the Bisons found the match-winner they deserved in the 99th minute of the contest and earned all three points to clinch an ASUN tournament spot. Head coach Kevin O’Brien was pleased with the overall result, but recognized a necessity to be more clinical in front of goal. “In every game we’ve played, we’ve created ample chances to score goals and win games,” said head coach Kevin O’Brien. “In today’s match, we just [weren’t] converting at the ratio that we want to be as a program.” “Tactically, we’ve been playing it pretty consistently, whether we’re playing a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2. Let’s be honest: today, we dominated the match, but we gave up two very dangerous chances. We could have lost this one as well.” Sophomore goalkeeper CJ Graham was a key in the Bisons keeping the clean sheet, making four saves on the afternoon. Hailing from Swannanoa, North Carolina, Graham reached 62 saves on the campaign after the win. In the first half, the Bisons put up three quick shots in the opening five minutes and would go on to shoot seven times in the first 45 minutes. North Alabama failed to offer much of a counter, but defended well and held onto a 0-0 stalemate going into halftime. Lipscomb ramped the pressure up even more in the second period, barraging the Lions with 17 shot attempts. Junior midfielder and Auburn transfer Cami Rogers led the team with 7 shots, but couldn’t find...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 17, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s soccer team won in hardly believable fashion against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Saturday night. A night in which nothing went right became a night no Bison fan will soon forget in a matter of moments. It took some time, though, for the storyline to develop positively. Though the Bisons started brightly on paper, they were unable to find a goal in the first half. Five shots and two on frame were unable to beat Eagles goalkeeper Gustavo Vasconcelos, who excelled throughout. The Recife, Brazil, native made two high-quality saves to deny the Bisons in the first 45, and the home side wasn’t rewarded for its attacking exploits as a result. Meanwhile, against the run of play, FGCU found the opener on a breakaway in the 42nd minute. Trevin Myers received a short goal kick from Vasconcelos and quickly played a deep, high pass to Canadian striker O’Vonte Mullings. Mullings, who came into the match with five of the team’s nine goals on the year, added his sixth of the campaign with a stellar one-on-one strike to beat Bisons goalkeeper Michael Sibley. The Eagles took that 1-0 lead into the break, and kept the momentum up early in the second half. Mullings created an early opportunity for a second goal in the 50th minute, but Sibley was equal to his effort and kept the ball out. The two sides traded attacking opportunities down the stretch, but perhaps the most important moment of the contest happened off the ball. At the 78-minute mark, Miles Robinson was issued a yellow card by the center referee for dissent, the...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 16, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team lost to Jacksonville State 3-0 Friday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Alabama. On a difficult night to say the least, Lipscomb lost a six-match winning streak and lost an ASUN match for just the second time all season. A raucous rural Alabama environment was the backdrop to a day of disappointments for the Bisons, who never seemed to truly be in the rhythm they’ve recently perfected. In an uncommon scene in collegiate American volleyball, “The Pete” was bustling all night long thanks to a cheerleading squad, a full band, and plenty of excited fans cheering on the red and gray. For Lipscomb, on the other hand, an informal count was made for traveling fans and exactly two were spotted. It proved to be a difficult environment to play in, per UAB transfer Caroline Stogner, but it wasn’t the overarching issue on the night. “It was definitely a loud environment, something we’re not used to,” Stogner said. “But I don’t think it affected us as much; obviously we didn’t play as well as we wanted to play, but I don’t think that had a big impact on our play,” said the sophomore from Plano, Texas. Stogner came off the bench to deliver five kills offensively for the Bisons, her third-highest output since joining Lipscomb this season. In the end, it wasn’t a sufficient boost for a Bisons team that struggled from the first moment. JSU raced out to a 6-1 lead, forcing a quick timeout from head coach Brandon Rosenthal. Lipscomb did claw their way back to a 7-6 deficit, but could never gain...
by Elly Ashlock | Oct 16, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Bisons got back to their winning ways in a Thursday night showdown with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks by a 4-1 scoreline Thursday. Both teams were looking for a win in this critical west division match; Lipscomb especially were desperate after a recent 2-1 loss at Eastern Kentucky. “I’m really pleased,” said Coach O’Brien. “To rebound off a result that was tough to take this was exactly what we needed.” The Bisons were rowdy from the get-go, maintaining the ball in their attacking third and earning a corner kick in the first five minutes. The first shot of the night was a goal by redshirt sophomore Molly Grant from just a few yards out, with the assist credited to Haley Williams. Their attacks weren’t the only thing powerful from the start. The Bisons’ strong defense forced the Gamecocks to play the ball back often, altering the Gamecocks’ ability to string together attacks. About halfway through the first 45, momentum shifted slightly as the Gamecocks began to hold more possession in search of the equalizing goal. In an attempt to capitalize on a good-looking run, the Gamecocks registered a shot on goal but it was an easy grab for Lipscomb goalkeeper CJ Graham, her first save of the night. With a lead in place, Coach O’Brien brought in 4 pairs of fresh legs. Skye Baun, Noa Ganthier, Shadia Valenzuela, and Kammy McGee contributed a hefty effort to finish the half. The second half was all Bisons from whistle to buzzer. It began much like the first: immediate control from the home team. With the help of Allie Dunn, Grant continued...
