DaSilva signs professional contract to play soccer

by | Jan 20, 2011 | News Slider, Sports

Miguel DaSilva, a former forward for the Lipscomb Bisons soccer team received three offers to go overseas and play professionally. That is not the story though. The story is where DaSilva chose to go play. DaSilva received offers from Finland, Portugal and his home country Angola. That last offer made his decision a lot easier. He signed with Santos FC of Angola in December and is expected to begin play with the club this month. Miguel first arrived in the states in 2001, just a day before the attacks of 9/11. Since arriving that day, he has not returned back to what he used to call home. “I always knew inside of me that I wanted to go back home once I graduated college,” said DaSilva, who earned his degree in international business last month. “When the deal was offered to me back home, (you) couldn’t imagine how excited I was. My family is there, friends, people that I miss daily and I haven’t seen them for about 10 years. I think that’s the place God wanted me to go.” Although he fought with injuries during his time at Lipscomb, DaSilva still posted 32 goals and 28 assists over four seasons. He tied for the team lead with eight goals last season, became the first Lipscomb player to earn all-region honors, and has prompted his coaches to call him the best player in Lipscomb’s history. Now it’s time to return to where life began, time to reconnect with family he hasn’t seen in a decade. “My mother never really saw me play when I grew up, so that’s one...

Battle of the Boulevard: Round 1 (Live Blog)

by | Jan 13, 2011 | Sports

Thursday night at Belmont is the first edition of the “Battle of the Boulevard” for the 2010-2011 season. The game tips off at 7:30 at the Curb Event Center right down the road at Belmont. If you were unable to get a ticket to the game, check out Espn360 for a live stream of the game. Also, we will be hosting a live blog that will feature key plays, analysis and live stats. Those participating in the live blog will also be able to chime in with their input and ask questions. The live blog will begin between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. Be sure to check in for a quick preview of the game. Lipscomb @...
Former towel boy, now minor leaguer, Caleb Joseph shows how Bisons athletics can change young lives

Former towel boy, now minor leaguer, Caleb Joseph shows how Bisons athletics can change young lives

by | Nov 25, 2010 | News Slider, Sports

Caleb Joseph started off as a towel boy for Lipscomb’s basketball games.  Then he played for Lipscomb’s baseball team.  Today, he is playing in minor league baseball, and it’s all due to the influence of his idols – Lipscomb athletes. Joseph had family who attended Lipscomb University, and was involved in Lipscomb athletics from a young age.  Even though a Jr. Bisons Club did not officially exist until 2009, Lipscomb has been getting kids involved with athletics since 1978. Joseph was part of that effort, and remembers looking up to athletes. “When you’re a kid, they seem so much older, they have that mega-star quality,” Joseph said. “You want to grow up and be just like them.” Joseph was drafted in 2008, his junior year in college at Lipscomb University, by the Baltimore Orioles.  He played last summer for the club’s AA  Bowie (Maryland)  Baysox and then began catching for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona fall league. Joseph said while he was playing catcher for the Bisons, there were many bat boys – mostly ages 5 and 6 – who spent time with players on the field.  He remembers a pair of twins who loved being bat boys so much they stayed on for the whole season. Joseph said Lipscomb athletics contributed greatly to who he is today. “I remember him when he was just a little towel boy,” Andy Lane, executive director of the National Bison Club at Lipscomb, said.  “Now he’s all grown up – we really feel like next year he may be in the big leagues.” Lane remembers Caleb Joseph as a youngster, but knows that kids...

Bisons win thriller in OT versus Austin Peay

by | Nov 19, 2010 | Sports

No one knew for sure when the game would end. However, when it finally did, the Bisons were victorious. In the 67th meeting between the two teams, the Bisons were able to squeeze out a 104-101 victory against Austin Peay State University. It did not come easily, though. The game was tied 11 different times, and the largest lead by any team was nine points. That lead was part of an early first-half run by the Bisons. The largest APSU lead was seven. The Governors held a steady lead for most of the second half with a few ties here and there, but the Bisons could never get on top and steal the momentum away from them. That all changed when APSU missed two consecutive free throws with under seven seconds left, followed by senior Josh Slater taking the ball from one end of the court to the other for a game-tying layup. The score at the end of regulation was 87-87. Those 87 points were the most allowed by Lipscomb this season, and Coach Scott Sanderson let his players know that. “Obviously we needed to get a stop,” senior center Adnan Hodzic said. “They are a great team with great forwards that can penetrate, and we just had to get one stop and the game was ours.” The Bisons got that stop. An early miss by Austin Peay let the Bisons take an early lead when Hodzic scored the first points of overtime. Hodzic went on to score six more in OT to lead the Bisons to the win. “I am just playing my role,” Hodzic said. “I have told...