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 | 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 Russell Vannozzi | Sep 17, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s soccer coach Kevin O’Brien typically schedules several Power 5 opponents to help the Lady Bisons prepare for ASUN play. However, sometimes his team plays the spoiler role against unsuspecting opponents. Such was the case Sunday night as the Lady Bisons topped Kentucky by a score of 2-1 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. “For us, any time we get to play a Power 5, it’s a special thing,” O’Brien said. “We don’t win all of them, that’s for darn sure. But whenever we get a Power 5 win, that’s pretty special.” The win is Lipscomb’s first over an SEC opponent since beating Mississippi State on August 26, 2016. Lipscomb went 0-3-1 against SEC teams in 2017, including a 2-1 loss at Kentucky last September. “We’ve got a squad that doesn’t fear anybody,” O’Brien said. “[Bigger schools] might have more blue-chip recruits or athleticism, but in the end, a lot of it is about heart, determination and a willingness to work for each other.” The Lady Bisons got on the board just eight minutes into the game when defender Hailey Eck looped a pass to Maycie McKay, who sidestepped Kentucky goalkeeper Hannah Leonard and finished an easy chip shot. “We’ve switched [McKay] from being a winger to more out an out-and-out forward, and she’s doing great,” O’Brien said. “She’s composed around the goal and finishes her chances.” Kentucky (4-6) knotted the score at one with a goal from Miranda Jimenez in the 40th minute. The Wildcats thoroughly dominated the first half and outshot Lipscomb 11-2. But the Lady Bisons (5-3-2) kept the Wildcats from scoring again, thanks to six saves from...
by Russell Vannozzi | Sep 10, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
It took dealing with a slippery pitch, firing 18 shots and battling through an overtime period, but the Lipscomb women’s soccer team refused to be denied a home win Sunday afternoon. Forward Olivia Doak fed a pass to teammate Maycie McKay, who slid the ball past Miami Ohio goalie Patricia Koutoulas to give the Lady Bisons a 3-2 overtime victory. “(McKay) made that run seven or eight teams and didn’t get rewarded with the ball,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “Sometimes you can get discouraged and quit (trying) it, so I was grateful and proud that she kept chipping away.” The shot was McKay’s only attempt of the day, but it was all she needed to score her first goal of the season at the most opportune time. “We had a lot of people in the box at the end,” McKay said. “We almost got one early on (in overtime), and that just drove us to keep going and keep pushing.” Miami (2-3-1) took the initial lead on tally from freshman Lyda Bogadanovtich in the 40th minute, but Lipscomb’s Selah Gilmore answered with a goal of her own just three minutes later. In the second half, Lipscomb defender Logan McFadden finished a header from Doak to give the Bisons a 2-1 lead. The goal was McFadden’s second of her freshman campaign. “We knew recruiting her that she had the ability to step in and play right away,” O’Brien said of McFadden. “She can still grow in her technical ability and her decisions on the ball, but…the fact that she’s contributing on the offensive side is gravy.” But Miami made things...
by Carly Reams | Aug 26, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s soccer team found themselves back at Vanderbilt for the Music City Invite on Sunday, where the Bisons played the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes. The game remained scoreless until the last 10 minutes when Miami took the 1-0 win on a goal from junior midfielder Kristina Fisher in the 82nd minute. On Friday night, the Lady Bisons (2-1-1) played to a scoreless, double-overtime draw against Ohio before their loss against the Hurricanes (3-1) on Sunday. The contest was fairly equal and made for a match full of shot opportunities and aggressive defense. The Lady Bisons kept up with Miami’s scoring chances but couldn’t seem to get the ball into the back of the net. Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said that this wasn’t due to his team’s efforts but rather the skill of Miami’s goalkeeper and defenders. “I felt that Miam’s goalkeeper kept them in the game, while (Friday) night it was harder to get through Ohio’s back four,” O’Brien said. “The fact that we are creating chances is what I am happy about.” Locked in a scoreless tie with only 10 minutes left, Miami attempted a few shots on Lipscomb senior goalkeeper Kate Mason. On Miami’s third shot attempt, Fisher slipped the ball past Mason despite the efforts of senior defender Justis Bailey, who nearly saved it. Lipscomb continued to play with high energy despite the late score. Sophomore defender Kaitlin Echols believes that the encouragement from the sideline helped the team stay motivated after Miami’s late goal. “We have a ton of support on the sideline, and we all just picked each other up and realized that it wasn’t...
