NASHVILLE, Tenn. - An NJIT penalty in the 8th minute decided a match between two of the ASUN Conference's heavyweights as the Highlanders (7-2-2, 2-0) beat the Lipscomb (5-5, 1-2) men's soccer team 1-0.

While the Bisons dominated possession, the skill from both sides was evident in the quality soccer that was played.

"I'm proud of the guys," said Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow. "I thought we played extremely well. We were unfortunate to come out on the losing end tonight. Sometimes the margin of error is razor-thin, and I thought it was tonight."

The nation's leading scorer, NJIT forward Mamadou Guirassy, earned a penalty in the box and converted the spot kick for his 11th goal of the season to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. 

Chances abounded for the Bisons as the squad had 16 shots with six of them coming on net. Senior Logan Paynter hit the post on a volley that would have tied it in the first half. Then just before the halftime whistle, senior Cam Botes put a ball in the net that was waved off for a foul.

"At the end of the day, we didn't score a goal," said Morrow. "For the second game in a row, we are walking away feeling like we did all the things we needed to do to win. It just didn't go our way."

Late in the second half, the Bisons looked to have a prime opportunity to equalize. A Highlander defender stuck an arm in the way of a Paynter shot inside the box. However, the officials missed the handball, and the Bisons were left to wonder 'what if.'

"Credit NJIT," said Morrow. "They got 10 behind the ball at times, defended well. It was tough to break them down."

QUICK HITS

• The Bisons were shutout for the 3rd time this season. 
• Sixteen shots was the fouth most for the Bisons in 2017.
• The two Ivans, Sakou and Alvarado, combined for 10 of the Bisons 16 shots. Sakou led both squads in shots with 6.
• Both sides combined for just seven total substitutions. The Bisons only played 13 men, while NJIT played 14.
• The Bisons currently sit in 4th place in the ASUN with 3 points in conference play.

UP NEXT

The Bisons will travel back to Florida to take on FGCU next Saturday night, Oct. 7. The Eagles are 2-0 in ASUN play.