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Hayley Williams vs Liberty
1
Winner Liberty LIB (5-5-5, 2-3-3)
0
Lipscomb LIP (7-3-2, 6-0-2)
Winner
Liberty LIB
(5-5-5, 2-3-3)
1
Final
0
Lipscomb LIP
(7-3-2, 6-0-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Liberty LIB 1 0 1
Lipscomb LIP 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Bisons Fall To Liberty In ASUN Quarterfinals

NASHVILLE - For the first time since 2014, the Lipscomb women's soccer team won't be advancing to the Semifinals of the ASUN Championship as the Bisons fell to Liberty, 1-0, in the Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. The loss was the first time Lipscomb dropped a match against a conference opponent on the season and brings an end to the season for the Bisons, who finish the year with a 7-3-2 overall record.

The Bisons were on the attack all game outshooting the Flames in the match 16-9, including 10-2 in the second half, but were unable to find the back of the net against a tough Liberty defense. Kelli Beiler and Molly Grant led the offense, each tallying four shots on the afternoon.

Despite Lipscomb registering the first four shots of the match, it was Liberty who broke through with a goal in the 21st minute. McKinley Burkett took a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that was blocked by Katia Hanger in a sliding effort. However, the ball bounced right back to Burkett who dribbled deeper into the box and fired another shot attempt into the bottom right corner of the goal, putting the Flames up 1-0.

Bisons goalkeeper Melissa Gray made a fantastic effort to stop the attempt, even getting a hand on the shot, but it was just strong enough to get through. The goal was just the fifth that the Bisons had allowed against a conference foe.

In the second half, the Bisons put pressure on the Liberty defense with multiple scoring chances. The closest chance came in the 83rd minute on a header attempt from Beiler. The Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania native redirected a floating ball from close range, but it just hit the post and Liberty was able to clear. Grant fired an attempt that went wide right in the 85th minute and that was the last shot of the match for the Bisons.

THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'BRIEN:
"Ultimately, I thought that Liberty started the game a little bit brighter than we did. I thought for that first half we just never really found out way, which was surprising because we haven't really run into that much this season. We've been pretty consistent from start to finish of every game. So to come out just a little bit slow, and getting second to balls that we are normally first to is something I have to give credit to Liberty. They came out with a good game plan and a system change, so I think that made it a little more difficult.

"In the end, I thought we played well enough in the second half to get an equalizer, but the game of soccer is incredibly unpredictable and they were able to get the goal they got that stood the rest of the match. We fought and I'm proud of the way our girls battled all season, even today in the second half there was never any quit or give up, which for me is a great sign of things to come.

"We graduated three girls from the program and I just want to thank them personally for all they have contributed to the most successful run the program has had in history of Lipscomb women's soccer. To Mel, Kaitlin Echols and Audrey Ann Beck I'm grateful for all they have contributed and sorry we couldn't give them another week of soccer."

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