by Spencer Boehme | Nov 3, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
It took three consecutive ASUN Championship heartbreakers against FGCU, but the the Lipscomb women’s soccer has finally won its first-ever league tournament title. The team became the latest Lipscomb program to advance to its first NCAA tournament, beating the sixth-seeded North Alabama Lions by a score of 3-2 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Saturday. As a newcomer to the Division I level, North Alabama is not eligible for NCAA tournament. That meant that one-seeded Lipscomb had already clinched an NCAA automatic bid before Saturday night’s game. But for Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien, the contest was still a must-win. “The mentality was, who knows if we’re going to get another chance to play for a tournament championship?” O’Brien said. “So we went with the strongest group that we had, and we played to win it.” North Alabama did not go down without a fight. As the bottom seed in the tournament, the Lions took down three-seeded Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals and two-seeded NJIT in the semifinals. The Lions’ two goals against the Lady Bisons matched the total number of goals that Lipscomb has allowed to ASUN opponents all season. One of their goals came from junior forward Shelby Wall, who led the Lions with seven tallies coming into the game. O’Brien said that “neither [of the goals] are a major concern.” Lipscomb’s victory came primarily from two goals scored by junior forward and ASUN Player of the Year Olivia Doak. The other was notched by redshirt junior forward and ASUN All-Academic Team member Maycie McKay. Following the game, McKay was honored as the ASUN Tournament MVP. “It’s been just...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 3, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
For the first time in a long time, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team is the favorite to win the ASUN title. The Bisons are seeking their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth with an experienced roster that includes five seniors and three juniors. Several of Lipscomb’s games could go either way — namely their contests against Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida. The Bisons will also square off with Power 5 opponents in TCU, Clemson and Louisville. After looking into the crystal ball, here are my predictions for all 29 Lipscomb regular season games: Game 1: Lipscomb 95, Sewanee 60 (1-0) Nov. 6 at Allen Arena The Bisons may show some rust in the first half, as is typical in any season opener. The Tigers have built a solid D-III program, but they simply won’t have the depth to pull an upset. Game 2: Lipscomb 80, Tennessee State 68 (2-0) Nov. 10 at Allen Arena These two teams have played tight battles over the last several seasons, including a 95-86 overtime win by Lipscomb last year. Belmont alum Brian “Penny Collins” is taking over for Dana Ford, who left to coach Missouri State. With a new TSU coaching staff and a revamped roster, the score line won’t be as close. Game 3: Lipscomb 72, Belmont 61 (3-0) Nov. 15 at Allen Arena Battle of the Boulevard games are never easy to predict. Belmont’s Dylan Windler is one of the top players in the country, but the loss of Austin Luke and Amanze Egekeze leaves the Bruins a bit thin on experience – a problem the Bisons don’t have. Game 4:...
by Russell Vannozzi | Oct 31, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Following its first-ever NCAA tournament berth, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team is facing high expectations this season. The Bisons are returning all five starters from last season plus redshirt senior guard Nathan Moran, who missed the entirety of last season with a hip injury. Several national media outlets have predicted the Bisons to win the league title once again, and Lipscomb was also named the league favorite by the ASUN men’s basketball coaches. Garrison Mathews and Rob Marberry landed preseason All-ASUN honors from the league, while Mathews was unanimously tabbed the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year earlier this month. The Bisons open their 2018-19 campaign when Sewanee visits Allen Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Here’s a full rundown of where prognosticators believe Lipscomb will finish this season: ASUN Conference Men’s Basketball Media Poll: 1st place (44 votes). Athlon Sports: 1st place in ASUN, Mathews and Marberry on All-ASUN 1st team, Kenny Cooper on 2nd team. CBSSports.com: Jerry Palm listed Lipscomb as a No. 16 seed playing No. 1 seed Tennessee. ESPN.com: Joe Lundari has Lipscomb as a No. 16 seed playing No. 1 seed Gonzaga. Lindy’s Sports: 2nd place in ASUN, Mathews and Marberry on 1st team. Cooper listed as “Best Playmaker.” Mid-Major Madness (SB Nation): 1st place in ASUN, Matthews and Marbery on 1st team, Cooper on 2nd team. Street & Smith’s: 1st place in ASUN, Mathews and Marberry on All-ASUN team. Three-Man Weave: 1st place in ASUN, Mathews and Marberry on 1st team. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Russell Vannozzi | Oct 28, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
For the last three years, the Lipscomb women’s soccer team advanced to the ASUN title game, only to lose to Florida Gulf Coast on each occasion. FGCU defeated Lipscomb 3-2 in double overtime in last year’s ASUN title match, following a 5-0 victory in 2015 and a 2-0 win in 2016. The stakes were similar in Sunday afternoon’s ASUN semifinal in Nashville, but history did not repeat itself. Lipscomb used a second-half goal from freshman defender Logan McFadden to top the Eagles 1-0 and finally get over the FGCU hump. “The proverbial monkey is off our back,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “They’ve ended our season for three years running. To be able to end theirs feels better than walking home with our heads hanging low.” The Bisons (13-4-2) will host North Alabama for the ASUN championship next Saturday, November 9. However, Lipscomb has already clinched its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament because North Alabama is not eligible for the postseason in its first year as an NCAA Division I school. FGCU (13-4-3) dominated much of the first half and had most of the game’s scoring chances. McFadden and the Lipscomb back line of Justis Bailey, Dominique Diller and Audrey Ann Beck held strong as the Eagles fired 13 total shots and seven on target. But the game-defining moment came in the 70th minute after Maycie McKay won the ball off an FGCU corner kick. McKay then slid a pass to McFadden, who raced upfield and caught FGCU goalie Melissa Weck out of the net. Defensive Player of the Year Logan McFadden takes matters into her own hands and...
by Sara Jones | Oct 25, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s soccer team lost 2-0 to the Memphis Tigers Tuesday night. Each team made runs throughout the first 45 minutes of the game, with midfield being an area of battle the majority of the first half. “I thought we did a poor job of locking down the midfield and sort of dictating the tempo and the rhythm of the game,” head coach Charles Morrow said. The first five minutes of the second half started with four corner kicks from the Memphis team, though they amounted to nothing. Scoring finally opened up on Memphis’ fifth corner kick. In the 64th minute, a Tiger launched the ball into the box, where Ben Roberts was able to find the net, giving Memphis a 1-0 lead. At the 71st minute, Memphis found room to dribble up the field and Alexandros Ierides was able to secure the second goal, adding to Memphis’ lead. For the remainder of the night, Lipscomb offense controlled possession of the ball but failed to score. Lipscomb will finish its season this Saturday at 7 p.m. against Stetson. “It’ll be very different in terms of any other team we have played this year,” Morrow said. “They play a little bit different shape, and so there is plenty preparation to get ready for that between now and Saturday.” Winning against Stetson this weekend would finish Lipscomb’s ASUN regular season championship. It would also insure the Bisons stay home during the ASUN...
by Kailey Schuyler | Oct 14, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s soccer (4-8-0, 3-1-0 ASUN) secured its spot in the ASUN Championship Saturday, defeating the Liberty Flames 3-1 in the Bisons’ first home game in two weeks. Star forward Logan Paynter called it a “little bit of a weird game.” “The other team takes a red card, and they become very defensive,” Paynter said. “We had to be very patient and wait for those opportunities. We had quite a few; we took three of them and that was enough.” The ASUN’s leading scorer, Tresor Mbuyu, intercepted a pass meant for Lipscomb’s goalkeeper and tucked it away in the 11th minute to give the Flames an early lead. Then the Bisons got on the board when Paynter was dragged down in the box in the 28th minute, drawing a red card and a penalty kick. Ryan Birchfield sent the penalty shot home to tie the game. In the 39th minute, Daniel Muhlbauer scored the first goal of his Lipscomb career to give the Bisons the lead. “I waited way too long for it, and now finally scoring… it’s a pretty big moment for me, and I’m really happy about it,” said Muhlbauer. Paynter’s goal in the 67th minute put the nail in the coffin. “We lost a lot of very, very close games [this season],” Paynter said. “A lot of one-goal games, overtime games, maybe games we should’ve won, but didn’t take our chances, and that just taught us how to win.” All proceeds from ticket sales and a charity raffle for a framed jersey went to the American Cancer Society. The Bisons will face Louisville, October 16. The ASUN...
