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 | 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 Sarah McGee | Nov 18, 2014 | Sports
Lipscomb’s men’s soccer team ended its season Friday night in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, but despite the loss the team did finish with a successful season. The Bisons had the home field advantage for the tournament after they earned the right by tying for first place in the A-Sun regular season with a 4-1-1 record, 12-4-1 overall. It was the first ever regular season championship for the men’s team since joining the conference. Not only did the Bisons receive team acknowledgements, but also individual players were recognized by the Atlantic Sun. Senior Luke Gearin was named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman Ivan Alvarado was Freshman of the Year. The team had five players on the Atlantic Sun All-Conference team. The Bisons entered the tournament with high expectations based on their season record, but unfortunately they couldn’t pull through. The men lost 3-0 to North Florida who eventually won the tournament championship. The Bisons matched up against the Ospreys on a freezing evening this past Friday. The weather was easily one of the biggest challenges that each competing team faced during the tournament weekend. Despite the below freezing temperature, fans showed up to support the Bisons and cheer them on. “The weather was definitely something to deal with for all of the teams,” senior Zander El-Hindi said. “It speaks volumes to us as a team that our fans cheered us on for ninety minutes in twenty-degree weather.” UNF took the lead early on in the game scoring their first goal only nine minutes in. The Bisons worked hard to catch up and take the lead,...
by Brianne Welch | Nov 5, 2014 | Sports
The Lady Bisons soccer team just completed a record-breaking regular season, and look to take the season even further this weekend. The team finished regular season play Friday Oct. 24 against Northern Kentucky. The game ended in a 2-0 loss, but the team finished with a 10-6-2 overall record, and the no. 2 spot going into the conference tournament. This 2014 season is the first season the Lipscomb women’s team has had a winning record. The Lady Bisons have also only made it into the tournament one other year, and that was last year. A change in coaching staff back in the spring of 2012 is a huge part of the program’s turnaround. Junior Emily Shuler was recruited to Lipscomb before the coaching change, and said she would have looked elsewhere had she been aware of the programs record, but she is thrilled with the change. “When I looked at Lipscomb’s website for them to come watch [me play], I remember their record was like, two wins, maybe. I was like, what am I doing, like why did I ask them to come, and it ended up being awesome,” Shuler said. “Now we’re at a place where we’ve got five times that for wins if not more.” Senior Karli Crosby played on the team before head coach Kevin O’Brien was hired, and she has seen first hand how much of a difference he has made. “We’ve gotten better every single year ever since OB (O’Brien) got here. He came in the spring of my freshman year. The fall before he got here we finished tenth in the conference and...
