NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lipscomb Women's Soccer put on one of its most complete performances of the season on Sunday afternoon, rolling past Austin Peay 5-0 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex to stay unbeaten in ASUN play.
From the opening whistle, the Bisons controlled possession and dictated the tempo. In just the seventh minute, Chloe Iliff whipped in a cross that found London De Fini, whose header skimmed just over the crossbar. Moments later, Maddy Rhodes tested the keeper with a shot from distance, but it was saved to keep things level.
The breakthrough came in the 18th minute when De Fini delivered a perfectly weighted through ball in the air, just shy of the box. Skylar Cole latched onto it and calmly slotted her shot into the back of the net, giving Lipscomb a deserved 1-0 advantage. The Bisons continued to dominate possession, earning multiple corner kicks before halftime while limiting the Governors to just a handful of looks at goal.
The second half saw Lipscomb blow the game wide open. Just minutes into the frame, Rhodes was fouled in the box on a corner kick, leading to a penalty. Bella Carapazza stepped up and converted from the spot, doubling the lead. Carapazza continued to influence the match, threading a long ball in behind the defense for Hailey Johnson, who buried her chance to make it 3-0.
The goals kept coming as Lucy Hurst's cross found Jaide-Simone Prejean, who attacked a header on the rebound to extend the advantage. With the match already sealed, Abby Ross capped off the scoring in style, weaving her way through multiple defenders before firing home to push the tally to five.
Defensively, Lipscomb remained organized and clinical, with goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar anchoring the backline to record her third straight clean sheet to open ASUN play. The Bisons allowed just a handful of shots on goal and consistently frustrated Austin Peay's attack.
Head coach Kevin O'Brien praised his team's depth and energy following the win:
"Yeah, incredibly proud of the team today. It was just another really strong performance from start to finish. The fact that we've got our third conference shutout is big-time. Five different goal scorers, big-time, rotated the team and everyone performed at a really high level. So, as a coaching staff, we're nothing but pleased and it's the best way you can start the conference season, but now we're gonna be tested. We're gonna be on the road for the first time, and we're excited, but at the same time, road games are hard. So, I'm gonna prepare the girls for Thursday, Sunday, and just excited to keep, hopefully, rolling."
With the result, Lipscomb improves to 7-3-1 overall and 3-0 in ASUN play, while Austin Peay falls to 0-8-3 (0-2 ASUN). The Bisons have now scored nine goals in their last three matches while not conceding once.
Up Next
Lipscomb heads on the road for the first time in ASUN play, traveling to face Central Arkansas on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. in Conway, Arkansas.
