by Danny Kotula | Aug 18, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
Last season for the Lipscomb women’s soccer team, everything was in place for another ASUN conference championship–until it wasn’t. The top-seeded Bisons went into the conference tournament last April needing just three wins to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Instead, they lost at the first time of asking to league-bottom Liberty and saw their season cut short. This year, though, longtime head coach Kevin O’Brien’s squad looks more primed than ever for an NCAA appearance. An already experienced team returns most of its key contributors from last year, and that alone makes the Bisons formidable once again in 2021. Couple that with an ASUN Preseason joint-top ranking and four players on the Preseason All-Conference list, and the expectations become sky-high for Lipscomb’s women’s soccer program. Luckily, there’s more than enough quality in the squad to live up to those expectations. Coach O’Brien’s Bisons bring back nearly all of last year’s starters, with the notable exceptions of long-serving goalkeeper Melissa Gray and starting defenders Audrey Ann Beck and Kaitlin Echols. Gray spent five years with the program and started for the past two seasons, but her successors are equally capable. Our prediction for who puts on the gloves is redshirt sophomore CJ Graham, but the Swannanoa, N.C. native has strong competition from redshirt freshman Sydney Jones of Castle Pines, Colo. In his ever-honest way, Coach O’Brien let on that even he was unsure of who would end up starting the season at goalkeeper. “I told them early on, ‘Hey, this is the one position in our team that there’s a bit of a question mark.’...
by Jesica Parsley | Oct 30, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Freshman Ellen Lundy has already recorded big accomplishments and made several memories during her first season on the Lady Bisons soccer team. Lundy finished the regular season as the Atlantic Sun co-leader in points with 31. The freshman standout scored 14 goals overall, setting a Lipscomb record for most goals in a season. She was also recently ranked number 68 on Top Drawer Soccer’s top 100 freshman list. And, this past weekend, she had a major role in helping the Lady Bison reach their first appearance in the conference tournament in school history. Lundy hails from Rogers, Ark. She says her decision to come to Lipscomb was an easy one. “When I came on my visit, I loved the culture and community of the school,” Lundy said. “Then, I met the girls and coaches, who were so awesome. It was just encouraging and easy.” Entering the biggest stage of her career yet, Lundy wanted to prove she belonged at the collegiate level. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but I just wanted to prove I could play at the Division I level and accomplish my goal of helping contribute to the team anyway I could. I feel like I did that,” Lundy said. One of Lundy’s favorite moments of the season was the Lady Bison big 2-1 win over Mercer, who is the defending A-Sun champion. Lundy scored both goals with the game-winner coming in the 83rd minute. “Looking back, when we beat Mercer was a huge win for us that kick started our season and gave us energy and hope that we could make the tournament,” Lundy said. Lundy said her favorite...
