The Lipscomb men’s soccer team started their 2021 season off right with a 3-1 home victory over the Evansville Purple Aces on Saturday.
In a complete team performance, the Bisons produced three goals and only conceded one from a late penalty kick.
In the attack, freshman forward Javanne Smith scored a brace and added an assist, having a hand in all three of Lipscomb’s goals on the night. The Nottingham, UK native is starting life as a Bison in excellent form after scoring two goals in the space of five minutes. Smith’s goals came in the 65th and 70th minutes, putting the game to bed midway through the second half after Tyrece Spicer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.
Spicer, also a freshman, added a goal on his only shot attempt of the match. After scoring early on in Lipscomb’s exhibition match against UAB, the Trinidad and Tobago international student is making a name for himself with his goal-scoring abilities.
Signal Mountain-born Thomas Priest anchored the midfield, lasting all 90 minutes in primarily a defensive midfield role. The redshirt sophomore was the only midfielder to play the entire match.
Center-back Honore Kalala led a stalwart defensive unit for the Bisons. Including the two exhibition matches, the Danish defender is the only player to have played every minute of every match this year.
To his left, Louis Robinson enjoyed plenty of success in his new role at left-back. His electricity down the wing provided plenty of chances, while his defensive intensity stopped multiple attacking chances at the other end. True freshman Will Turner also impressed on the backline, working with Kalala to form a formidable center back pairing.
Goalkeeper Michael Sibley didn’t have much to do with his hands in this contest, not making a single save and only allowing a penalty kick goal to Pablo Guillen. Sibley did play an important role with his feet, though, receiving plenty of passes from his defenders and distributing the ball well.
For Evansville, a lack of possession was their downfall away from home at the Lipscomb Soccer Stadium. The Missouri Valley member school failed to capitalize on their numbers advantage in the center of the park, losing the midfield battle despite playing in a formation with five midfielders.
Guillen capitalized on a defensive mistake and a foul from Sibley. Guillen, who is from Caracas, Venezuela, made the most of the occasion, blasting a shot into the roof of the net from the penalty spot. Coming in the 86th minute, however, it was too little, too late.
With the win, the Bisons move to 1-0, while the Purple Aces drop to 0-1. Evansville returns home in a week to face Drake, while Lipscomb meets Alabama-Huntsville on Tuesday in the second of a three-match home stretch. That match will be streamed live with audio coverage on The Bison, with pregame coverage starting at 4:50 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Image courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics.