Men’s soccer opens season with 3-1 ‘Boulevard’ win over Belmont

Friday night, roadside rivals Lipscomb University and Belmont University kicked off their seasons in a “Battle of the Boulevard” match-up. The 17th meeting between the teams ended with the Bisons hoisting the Red Bull Trophy yet again after posting a 3-1 victory over the Bruins.  The Bisons, in their white and purple striped uniforms, took the field around 6 p.m. to warm up. Ten minutes later, the Bruins, dressed in red, took the opposite end of the field in an attempt to win back the coveted title of ‘Battle’ Champions. From the beginning of the match, Belmont started off aggressive and pushed deep into Lipscomb’s defense multiple times. For the rest of the game, the Bisons’ defense was not so generous. Lipscomb held their own against a good opponent, taking 11 shots on goal and making 3, while the Bison defense allowed 7 shots on goal. Only one found itself in the back of Lipscomb’s net. The first Bison goal arrived when Josue Chavez, the sophomore midfielder from Colorado, took an open shot from 25 yards away to get the ball rolling on Lipscomb’s eventual win. If there wasn’t any other indication that these two teams are rivals, the seven cards — six yellow and one red — certainly said enough. From the 38th minute on, Belmont played a man down after Cody Stratton was ejected for a slide from behind. Of the other cards, Belmont and Lipscomb each had three cautions. The visiting team did not not make it easy for Lipscomb to nab the win, however. Trailing 2-0 entering halftime, the Bruins worked hard to get back...

Men’s soccer gets defensive en route to improvement

The Lipscomb men’s soccer team has been plagued with many issues early in the season. From two top sophomores not returning to play until this past week to losing players during crucial moments in games because play got too physical. But the reality isn’t as bad as it seems. The Bisons placed second in the Brentwood Invitational a week ago, after the team tied twice in double overtime, against IPFW and Bowling Green. “Every game we’re making improvements,” said Coach Charles Morrow. “The process is just taking a little longer than it has in years past. Every game we’re getting better, which is an encouraging sign.” The Bisons also added two sophomores back into their ranks, Kevin Barber and Nick Bibb. The team isn’t just trying to win games, but they’re trying to come together and play more as a team, a single unit instead of 11 individual units. “Our style of play is coming together each game,” Morrow said. “We don’t have a dynamic game-changer, but we’ve got a ton of very good players. It’s going to be a total team effort every game.” The team defense is probably its strength. Recently playing the high scoring Xavier Musketeers, the Bisons only gave up one goal to a deflected 15-yard kick. The team has been able to focus more practice time to improving the offense because of their stellar defense. There is hope too. Recently, against VMI, the Bisons earned their fist victory.  With a stellar offensive performance, Lipscomb  had 21 shots on goal throughout the game.   By Liam...