Lipscomb men’s soccer (5-2, 1-0) defeated the Stetson Hatters (2-4-2, 0-1) with a score of 2-0 Wednesday night at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
This win extended the team’s win streak to 4-1 after wins against Belmont and SIUE last week.
After the first half, neither team successfully put the ball in the back of the net. The Bisons missed several close call opportunities; one of which included a race in the 35th minute where redshirt sophomore forward Logan Paynter sprinted down the field with only one defender to beat; yet, he was tackled in the box, and no foul was called.
“We needed to bring a more aggressive approach to defending and bring more energy,” coach Peter Lowry said. “The emphasis [at halftime] was having more urgency on the ball, and we won because we outworked them.”
As Lipscomb emerged from halftime at a 0-0 tie, junior midfielder Eduardo Reza caught a ball on his left foot just outside the box, and in he 50th minute immediately shifted the ball to his right foot before sending the ball to the left post and giving the Bisons a 1-0 lead.
“We knew we needed more intensity; we were looking for a goal and it fired us up,” Reza said.
In the 77th minute, redshirt senior forward and midfielder Josue Chavez played the ball back and forth with junior forward Brandon Braumuller, eventually resulting in a powerful shot to the back of the net for Chavez, his first goal of the season.
“The team has been emphasizing pushing through lately,” junior Brandon Braumuller said. “We refuse to be satisfied until the full time has been called.”
Possession offense and defense closed out the game for the Bisons, earning senior goalkeeper Micah Bledsoe his fourth clean sheet of the season and the 14th of his career. Wednesday’s game moved him into 10th place in the Atlantic Sun Conference career shutouts.
“Games like tonight are where a lot of guys step up,” Lowry said. “It’s a tribute to how deep this team is, and we are looking forward to conference play.”
Lipscomb men’s soccer continues conference play on Saturday at 6 p.m. on the road against Jacksonville, and returns home after a three game road stretch to play Memphis at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Wednesday, October 5th at 7 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics