Final Score – Lipscomb: 2, Mercer: 0
Location – Nashville, Tenn. (Lipscomb Soccer Complex)
Records – Lipscomb (1-1-1), Mercer (1-2-1)
SCORING SUMMARY
HOW IT HAPPENED
Early in the match, Mercer earned a couple of throws in its attacking third. The Bears have a long throw, but the Bisons defended them well.
Lipscomb's first good chance came in the 4' minute when
Tony Lombardi hit a ball from outside the top corner of the box that forced a Mercer save.
Mercer had a couple of decent looks in the next minutes, but
Alex Kara came up with a good save in the 26' minute to keep things 0-0.
The Bisons had a couple of substitutes in the 28' minute and fresh legs gave life to the side.
William Bryan and
Raphael Constant injected the offense with some life and created some opportunities, but the Bears' defense held strong.
Mercer nearly got the go-ahead in the 38' minute with a shot that looked like it might find the back of the net, but Lipscomb's
Caleb Davis cleared the ball just in front of the goal line.
Neither team found the back of the net in the first frame for a scoreless match at the half.
The Bears had a good opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half when a corner kick ended in a scrum in the box. Mercer took a shot from the top of the box that looked to be heading inside the back post, but a Lipscomb defender cleared the ball just before it found its way to the back of the net.
Lipscomb started to connect better in its attacking third as the second half went on. In the 67' minute,
Levi Jones won a corner kick that created a scoring opportunity when
Brayden Strait got his head on the end of the set piece. His shot looked to be trending toward the back post, butt went just wide.
The Bisons kept its foot on the pedal and got the breakthrough just seconds later. Bryan linked up with
Daniel Firek on the right side who put a ball in front of the face of goal. Jones was there and got a backwards heel to the ball that rolled just inside the back post to put the Bisons ahead 1-0.
Lipscomb nearly put another on the board in the 72' minute when Jones got the ball with space at the top of the box and played a ball to
Luke Hanlon who was streaking up the left flank. He got a boot on the ball but his shot was saved, keeping the lead at a goal.
Jones stayed in the mix and notched his first career brace in the 75' minute when he once again connected with Bryan. His shot from just inside the 18 deflected off a Bears defender and in the back of the net for a 2-0 Lipscomb advantage.
The Bisons were able to stand tall defensively for the remainder of the match and see out the shutout for a 2-0 victory, its first victory of the season.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will hit the road for the first time this season to take on Wake Forest Friday, September 5. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.
