NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Falling into a hole in the third minute, the Lipscomb men’s soccer team was unable to recover in a 2-0 loss to Eastern Illinois on Sunday evening at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex in Nashville.

“I think tonight we did a poor job defending set pieces,” Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow said. “That is something Eastern does very well and is a key for them.”

The Bisons (0-2-0) fell behind in the third minute when the Panthers (1-1-0) got on the board off an own goal from LU. EIU set up a free kick from which an errant Bisons clear went into the goal.

In the 35^th minute, using a key to the Panthers game, a long throw-in from Jake Irwin was headed into the back of the net by Jordan Collins to give EIU a 2-0 lead.

“The long throw in hurt us,” Morrow said. “I thought we were tentative in defending that. Once we figured out how to defend, I thought the resolve was good. In the first half, not only did we do a poor job defending those set pieces but we also created more opportunities for them. Too many cleared balls that were out of bounds and in range for them to throw. I felt like that hurt us.”

The Bisons tried to fight back, plastering six shots on goal, however to no avail. In the game, the Bisons tallied 12 shots, outshooting the Panthers by three. Senior Jeremy Reid led the Purple and Gold with four shots, including two on goal.

“The crowd support tonight was fantastic,” Morrow said. “We appreciate all the fans coming out.”

Lipscomb travels to Conway, Ark. for the University of Central Arkansas Invitational starting Friday, Aug. 31, with a 4 p.m. game against Central Arkansas followed by a game on Sunday, Sept. 2, with a noon match against Missouri State. 

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