Men’s soccer team secures victory in first game of the season

Men’s soccer team secures victory in first game of the season

 The Lipscomb men’s soccer team started their 2021 season off right with a 3-1 home victory over the Evansville Purple Aces on Saturday.  In a complete team performance, the Bisons produced three goals and only conceded one from a late penalty kick.  In the attack, freshman forward Javanne Smith scored a brace and added an assist, having a hand in all three of Lipscomb’s goals on the night. The Nottingham, UK native is starting life as a Bison in excellent form after scoring two goals in the space of five minutes. Smith’s goals came in the 65th and 70th minutes, putting the game to bed midway through the second half after Tyrece Spicer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.  Spicer, also a freshman, added a goal on his only shot attempt of the match. After scoring early on in Lipscomb’s exhibition match against UAB, the Trinidad and Tobago international student is making a name for himself with his goal-scoring abilities.  Signal Mountain-born Thomas Priest anchored the midfield, lasting all 90 minutes in primarily a defensive midfield role. The redshirt sophomore was the only midfielder to play the entire match.  Center-back Honore Kalala led a stalwart defensive unit for the Bisons. Including the two exhibition matches, the Danish defender is the only player to have played every minute of every match this year.  To his left, Louis Robinson enjoyed plenty of success in his new role at left-back. His electricity down the wing provided plenty of chances, while his defensive intensity stopped multiple attacking chances at the other end. True freshman Will Turner also impressed on the backline, working...
Lipscomb men’s soccer ready for their return to the pitch on Saturday

Lipscomb men’s soccer ready for their return to the pitch on Saturday

It’s been a long time coming, but the Lipscomb men’s soccer team can finally look forward to a full season of soccer. In all likelihood, it will be a season well worth the wait, as head coach Charles Morrow is optimistic about the Bisons’ squad this year. He says he’s especially excited about the mix of veteran leaders and youthful exuberance within the team. “We’re younger upfront [than last year] and more veteran in defense. If you had to choose, that would probably be the way to go.” One of the reasons the Bisons are so experienced on the backline is Nottingham, England native Louis Robinson’s positional move. After playing mainly forward last year, he and his attacking prowess are moving to the left-back position. With attack-minded fullback Noah Gulden occupying the right-back position, there’s a lot of expectation being placed on the outside defenders to create attacking chances for the Bisons. Alongside those two junior fullbacks are returning starter Honore Kalala and junior Scott Gulden, occupying the starting center back slots. It’s a quality back four that knows what they’re capable of, so expect some clean sheets for the Bisons this year. Meanwhile, as Coach Morrow alluded to, there are plenty of new faces in the attacking ranks. Javanne Smith is a freshman who joins Lipscomb from Chesterfield FC, a club in the 5th tier of the English soccer system. “Javanne is a forward for us that we expect to have a big year as a freshman,” Coach Morrow said when asked about freshmen to expect big things from. Another freshman forward in the mix is Tyrece Spicer,...

Men’s and women’s tennis fall short in opening conference matches

While most Lipscomb students were on spring break, the men’s and women’s tennis teams were hard at work starting Atlantic Sun Conference play. The men’s tennis team started off their spring break with a strong 6-1 win over the University of North Alabama on March 18 at home. The Bisons won two of the three doubles matches to get the winning point, and in singles action, the Bisons dominated. Sophomore Rob Mitchell, freshman Alejandro Manzanares, freshman Philippe Courteau, junior John Tougher and freshman Thais Minet all won their singles matches outright. Following the dominating performance over North Alabama, the Bisons looked to take the momentum into their first conference match against the University of North Florida on March 19. However, the men fell short in their first conference outing. The men lost 4-1 with the only singles victory coming from Mitchell, and the team did not win a doubles point. While the men were busy with their week, the women’s team was just as hard at work. The women started off the week on March 17 against Western Kentucky hoping to get a win before conference play, but the team fell short, losing 4-3. The Lady Bisons hoped to make a quick turnaround from the loss when they also took on UNF at home on March 19, but they fell 4-0 to the Ospreys. Freshman Hannah Gamage and junior Danielle Kinnen won the only point for the Lady Bisons. The duo won their doubles match 8-0, and the Lady Bisons did not win a singles point. Both the men and women are back in action on Saturday, March 21. The women travel to...

Lady Bisons softball team within reach of top 25 recognition through early season play

Top 25 is in reach for the Lady Bisons softball team as they moved up to No. 28 in the ESPN.COM/USA softball ranking.  With the season just two weeks under way, the Lady Bisons have made their presence known with wins from Virginia Tech, Butler, Iowa, Drake, UAB and No. 15 Baylor. “It’s exciting to be ranked, and it honestly only motivates us that much more to continue to be the best,” senior catcher Rena’ Cothron said. Lipscomb found huge success when they traveled to Waco, Texas this past weekend to play in the Getterman Classic. Against Baylor, the Bisons won 1-0, which bumped the Bears from 14 down to 15. “So far, I think the season has gone great. 8-1 is a great start to a season, but it’s just that, a start,” Cothron said. “Every game we have won so far has been a complete team win. We just have to keep playing our game and take it one day at a time.” Junior Brianne Welch, junior Paige Neely (recently named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week) and sophomore Tanner Sanders made the Getterman Classic All-Tournament team. Welch found success during the tournament, as she had her first career home run against Iowa. “It feels pretty awesome being top 28,” Welch said. “It’s a great feeling to get recognition for the hard work we’ve put in.” Welch had a two run bomb against Iowa, but it was Sanders who was the winning pitcher. She was named A-Sun Pitcher of the Week for her performance in Texas. Junior Gracey Aguirre, who plays right field for the Lady Bisons,...

Five-year-old Bisons baseball signee Brooks Russell throws first pitch in Lipscomb’s opening loss to Evansville

While there were plenty of pitches thrown at Dugan Field this past weekend, one of the most special was thrown by Lipscomb baseball’s most recent addition to the roster. Brooks Russell, the five-year-old recruit who was signed to the team by baseball coach Jeff Forehand on Feb. 5., was given the honor of throwing the season-opening pitch for the Bisons on Saturday in their season opener against Evansville. Standing halfway between the pitcher’s mound and home plate, Brooks delivered a toss that received a round of applause. Kari Russell, Brooks’ mother, said that Brooks is very excited for the upcoming season. “He’s been super excited, asking about coming to the games,” Kari Russell said. “He really feels like he’s a part of the team.” “It’s totally boosted his confidence; some of it’s gone to his head a little,” she joked. While the team battled Evansville, Brooks sat right above Lipscomb’s dugout for much of the game. The Bisons, however, fell to the Purple Aces 8-2 on Saturday and also lost in their double-header on Sunday, 10-7 and 3-2. Despite the losses, Kari Russell says that Brooks will forever hold on to the memory of getting to be a part of the Bisons’ team. “I’m very sure that he’ll remember this for the rest of his life,” Kari Russell said. The Bisons begin their season 0-3 at Dugan Field, a downgrade from last season’s series opener when the team won two games out of three against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Lipscomb started the game off well on Saturday, but the team could not keep pace with Evansville, which scored four runs...